Author: Lavie Margolin, Career Coach
After a long job search, it is hard to resist the temptation to tell everyone we know that we are now gainfully employed. It has most likely been a stressful time and we want to tell those who have helped us (or perhaps pressured us) in finding employment.
Resist the temptation and wait a month. New jobs do not work out more often than you think. When you think about it, how well do you know the people who hired you and how well do they know you? It is possible that it might not be a good fit and either side will come to that determination sooner rather than later. No one wants to explain to every friend and contact why a new job did not work out. Perhaps, unfairly, they will lose confidence in your seriousness in finding employment or making a commitment.
If you receive a call from a potential employer asking you to interview (which does seem to pick up once you have just found a new job!), let them know you are in the final stages of interviewing or even in the trial stages of a new job and you will be sure to contact them if things change. Once you have told a potential employer “no thanks”, it can be harder to get their attention again. Try to keep the door open as much as possible until you know where things stand with the new job.
If you just started a job and are not considering a new position anytime soon, it is always a good idea to return a call. An employer calling you is a potential contact in your field of interest. If you cannot make use of the opportunity now, you never know when you could in the future. Alert the person that you have recently found employment but you would be interested in future opportunities. Inquire as to what would be the best way to stay in touch and if they would like to meet with you in person to learn more about your professional abilities and skills. The better you get to know the person professionally, the more likely it is that you can count them in your network of contacts.
About the Author: Lavie Margolin is a New York-based Career Coach and the author of Lion Cub Job Search: Practical Job Search Assistance for Practical Job Seekers. To learn more, go to Lavie’s website, Lion Cub Job Search:www.Lioncubjobsearch.com