As the pandemic recedes, millions of workers have decided to rethink their jobs and how they are living their lives. On today’s episode of Talk Talent to Me, we get together with recruitment expert Sarah Baker Andrus to discuss this dramatic trend, why now is an excellent time to be looking for a new job, and how to do the internal work necessary to find and identify a job that you’ll love. In our conversation with Sarah, we hear about her history in recruitment and how she came into the career almost by accident when she discovered that it was a great fit for her personality and interests. You’ll hear Sarah break down some of the biggest mistakes people make when they first start looking for a job and explain why job boards are never the best place to start your search. Instead, you should be researching the type of companies you want to work for and intentionally reach out to them. Sarah offers some useful strategies for determining the type of position you’ll thrive in, like reflecting on high points in your career to identify your most valuable skills and asking yourself “Do I want to work here?” instead of “Will they hire me?” We spend some time reflecting on how worker demands and expectations are shifting in America and examine the many legitimate reasons workers have for leaving their jobs. We had a fantastic time talking with Sarah, and we’re sure you’ll find the conversation as informative and useful as we did. For all this and much more, tune in today!

 

Key Points From This Episode:

• Introducing today’s guest, Sarah Baker Andrus.
• How Sarah discovered a fascinating career in recruitment almost by accident.
• How reflecting on high points in your career can help you identify your most valuable skills.
• Why it’s equally important to identify the traits that your co-workers rely on you for.
• How to turn those traits you’ve identified into a job search.
• Why you should change the question from “Will they hire me?” to "Do I want to work here?”
• Why you should identify employers and companies that you want to work with.
• How men and women approach job searches differently on average.
• Why Sarah does not promote starting your job search by looking at job boards.
• How to use intentional networking in your job search.
• Sarah shares her feelings on accepting a job from an organization that has reached out to you on LinkedIn.
• Why you should be intentional about the process of leaving your job and finding a new position.
• The type of questions you need to ask yourself to accurately evaluate your current job versus a job prospect.
• Why Google is a useful tool for finding organizations that hire people with your particular skill sets.
• The great resignation that has been happening in America and the many legitimate reasons people gave for leaving their jobs.
• Why now is a great time to be looking for a new job.
• The risks of leaving a job versus the risks of staying at a job that isn’t working for you for too long.

 

Tweetables:

“I’ve spent the bulk of my career, so more than 20 years, as a recruiter myself, leading recruitment teams, thinking about recruitment marketing and recruitment strategy, and I have really spent my whole career immersed in everybody else’s career.” — @avarahcareers [0:01:38]

 

“I was very geeky and intentional about documenting what was working for me at that stage. I thought it was interesting to sort of be the guinea pig in my own adventure.” — @avarahcareers [0:04:17]

 

“One thing that I think I knew instinctively, and I’m sure you’d agree, is that when we think about the high point moments in our careers, there were certain skills, abilities, talents, that we brought to those achievements. We all want more of that.” — @avarahcareers [0:04:32]

 

“The vast majority of jobs never even get on to the boards and it’s far more effective to target your list of employers and then go on their careers page and monitor that and create your own job board, whether you use an Excel spreadsheet or some notes.” — @avarahcareers [0:10:57]

 

“So many great places that are starting from a different premise that has a new way of doing things and that’s what I find really exciting. If you’re at a place that isn’t keeping up, then you become identified with that place.” — @avarahcareers [0:33:12]

 

“We need to give equal consideration to the risk of staying and what that can do to your career over the long haul.” — @avarahcareers [0:33:43]

 

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

 

Sarah Andrus on LinkedIn

Sarah Andrus on Twitter

Sarah Andrus on Facebook

Avrah Careers

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