There is strength in numbers, and your job search is no different!
Maybe the term “Success Team” is new to you, or maybe you belong to one and you aren’t using it as effectively as you could. Here I’ll provide you with some info on how to create a valuable Success Team that will assist you in your job search more effectively.
What is a ‘Success Team’?
A Success Team is a small group of 5 to 8 job seekers who meet weekly to discuss their job searches, share ideas, provide support, and hold each other accountable for their job search goals. Each meeting usually consists of a roundtable where each person discusses their weekly job search progress and asks for ideas from the group. Everyone tries to help one another and brainstorm ideas on how to improve their job search strategy. The relationships built within these groups are great, and you may even make some long-term friends or future business associates.
What are the benefits?
Success Teams have a multitude of benefits for its members. From meeting regularly you stay on top of your job search and remain focused, sharing with others in similar situations provides a deeper level of camaraderie and support, and you are able to build strong alliances and networking opportunities with others. A good Success Team can assist you in identifying potential job leads, providing valuable feedback on your job search, and holding you accountable for your own goals. Once you get to know each other better it can also be a source of fun by having small potluck meetings at each other’s houses (everything is better with food involved, right?) or carpooling to other networking events and job fairs together.
What makes for the best team?
The best kind of team is one centered around a common interest – and not just job seeking in general. Many Success Teams have a more niche focus on the types of job its members are seeking, such as by industry (nonprofit, manufacturing, or healthcare) or role (finance, HR, or IT). It is of everyone’s best interest to surround themselves with people who are knowledgeable about and connected within their specific field, as these folks are more likely to be able to share useful insight, contacts, and resources that can be helpful to one another.
Be careful though not to replicate one another’s career goals exactly, as being someone’s direct competition is not useful for this situation. For example, a quality HR Success Team may have an HR Assistant, Benefits Coordinator, Recruiter, Trainer, Director of HR, and an HR Generalist on board. However, a Success Team with 3 HR Managers with backgrounds in manufacturing would not be as supportive to one another, for fear of competing objectives. You also want to ensure that everyone is reciprocating their assistance to one another (you included!) and can respect the confidentiality of the meetings. You never know – someone on your Success Team could hire you in the future!
How do I find one or create one?
In most cases, Success Teams are smaller off-shoots from larger more general job clubs or networking groups. If a group doesn’t have a Success Team already established that meets your interests and schedule, you can always reach out to the group to recruit members and begin your own. To find a job club in your area try using Service Locator to find your local one-stop government career center and calling them to ask for a referral. Here are some in the SF Bay area: Experience Unlimited (multiple locations), Job Connections (Danville, CA), and C-Six (Silicon Valley).
If you have been involved with a Success Team please comment below and tell us about the benefits you’ve received from being involved with it!
Comments
I founded a Job Search Success Team (also known as a job club), shortly after my position was eliminated in January 2009. It follows a format similar to what was described above.
In addition, I've created a network for other job clubs in the area. Information is shared with all job clubs.
The benefits of active participation include greater awareness of skills, improved job search techniques, networking and support. Many of our members have found jobs. I am still searching but know I will be successful.
These groups should be an integral part of any job seeker's strategy.
I think the greatest benefit I'm receiving from my Success Team is the accountability. Because it's a small group and we share our personal goals we plan to achieve during the week, it's like a personal commitment to the group. When the group meets next time you don't want to say, I didn't complete my goal. The other aspect of the group is the encouragement we receive from each other. Just knowing we're in this together helps sometimes.
My group has been going a while. We've "graduated" five since our start (to jobs), and have a recruiting strategy to keep the numbers at 5-6. It bouys our spirits, provides new ideas, leads and contacts. We share new networking opportunities. Periodically we share critical resume or cover letter reviews. We "sound" each other's ideas. Question each other's strategies. I agree with Paul: essential component of job search strategy.
Who Cares when I begin what I said I would? My team.
For my 10 minute turn, I am powerful. My team will do what I ask. Zip thru my report on time spent on time wasters. Logging bad habits is the first step to getting control of them. But I found that I avoiding reviewing the logs. Not if my report is due at team mtg. Now the reports get the quick burn laser focus of the team. The "Time Wasting Vampires" that suck the life's blood from my productivity... die in the light of my turn at the team.
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