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EP 1508 What Does Financial Planning and Job Hunting Have in Common?  The answer is amazingly simple.

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I thought that was a fun topic, what does financial planning and job hunting have in common (Pausing for a second to see if you can figure it out)? Okay, so the answer really comes down to people know what to do, they just don't do it.
So, for example, in financial planning, people know that they have to spend less than they have to save money for the future. Do you do it? You may have money withdrawn from your salary for your 401k But if there was an emergency tomorrow, you needed to come up with 500 bucks, the statistics say half the United States can't do it.
That's really a problem because the statistics are that we're going to have another recession; it may be a bad one; it may not be a bad one. We're gonna have another recession. Most people are not prepared for it. One of the points of preparation is for your job search. The idea is you do things in advance of the need, so that, when the need arises or the choice arrives, you are prepared.
The idea is to not send out resumes in response to ads, so that you're one of the thousands of fish trying to be hooked by the employer with the rod in the water or with it with the line in the water. Instead, you're out there with a huge network, some of whom will not be valuable to you, but some of whom will. They are people who know, like, trust and respect you, who believe in you, and believe you'd be an asset to their organization with whom you can share a network.
I say, "Share a network," because it's not just about you grabbing for it. They're going to need help, too. You need to share, play well in the sandbox. It's practicing your interviewing now when you don't necessarily need to perform for when you do.
I spoke with someone yesterday who's a partner with well known firm. In working with her, they had been out for a while. Now, they're going to take an interview with an organization they want to work for in a role that they were well qualified for. Couldn't deliver.
They realized they needed to practice and use me as the way of, of pointing out to them how rusty they were. Happens all the time. And, I must in all candor say, "Why?" Why does it need to happen all the time? It doesn't. Your network has to be in place and built and available to you, to be shared with them, and to be used by you, not necessarily when you have the urgency but when you don't.
You build the network when the weather's nice, so that, when it becomes cloudy, rainy, and bad weather, it's available to you. You do the things to prepare yourself for interviews NOW when it's not urgent, so that you're ready later.
Like the person who doesn't do financial planning, I know they're gambling and, statistically, they lose. They are gambling, that they'll never really need that money, and that the government will rescue them.
Maybe that will happen. Who knows? But, I'll tell you point blank, do you want to rely upon external forces with your career? Would you rather do your best to be ready yourself? I think the answer is pretty clear.


Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter
Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter





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