The Currency of Business Favors And The Job Seeker
2010-02-12 14:26:31
A couple of weeks ago, a friend of mine was sitting in a coffee shop at the mall and was chatting with another patron who had just moved to Seattle and was having trouble finding a job. She mentioned she had a friend that is well connected and a recruiter, and offered to put us in touch. He eagerly accepted her help and they exchanged email addresses.
He did contact me and we arranged to meet at the same coffee shop on a Sunday afternoon. We confirmed, I sent him a photo, and an email earlier in the day with my attire so he could find me. I got there about 10 minutes early. And waited. And waited. Finally, after 30 minutes I left.
I sent him an email, telling him I had waited for 30 minutes and wishing him the best with his job hunt. He replied, saying he was sorry that he couldn't "make it". He wanted to reschedule.
I politely informed him that I generally charge money to meet with people to discuss career and resume matters, and that I had agreed to meet with him gratis as a favor. I referred him to a friend of mine that is an Employment Specialist at Worksource (WA state's unemployment office) with her contact info and that he could get go with no appointment, and at no charge.
My point is, the message he portrayed was that he doesn't care how he is perceived professionally; he doesn't take his job hunt seriously; he has no understanding of the currency of business "favors". Based on his behavior, I would assume that he is someone that will job hop and possibly call in sick excessively. This goes back to personal employment branding.
Make sure that when you are managing your job search you are treating potential contacts as the golden resources that they are. Use your currency wisely and well.
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