When people talk about their jobs, it’s obvious how they feel about it. You get a sense of how important it is to them, whether they hate their boss or how ready they are to look for different job. You can hear it in their voice, see it in their posture and feel it in their attitude. When you come across someone who loves their job, it’s inspiring and exciting. You hope that some day you can talk about your job in the same way.
Marcy Pritchard* is one of those people who loves her job. When she talks about her work, her face lights up and you feel her positive energy. However, it wasn’t always this way. At her previous job, Marcy had many complaints about her boss and the company. Having been at that job for many years, it was easy for her to stay even though she wasn’t happy. During the first few years at this company, it was fun and exciting and then things changed over time. When Marcy was laid off, she left with mixed emotions. She was sad to lose her job, but on the other hand, she knew she could find something better.
As Marcy prepared for a new job, she thought about what she liked about her past jobs and what she disliked. She thought about how her job skills could be applied to a different kind of job, one in which she was passionate about. After lots of soul-searching, Marcy decided she wanted to work for a company that was doing something to improve our environment. She had years of marketing experience that she enjoyed, so she focused on getting a marketing job at a company in the green industry.
Unfortunately, Marcy had no experience in the green industry and her business contacts were primarily in the computer industry. She started her job search by researching which companies to target, making a list of over thirty companies. Next she told everyone what kind of job she was looking for and what companies she was targeting. Marcy used LinkedIn to find people in her network who worked at these companies. Her goal was to send five emails each day to her target companies. Additionally, she did volunteer work related to the green industry in her community to gain some relevant experience.
A few months into her job search, Marcy discovered a friend who knew the vice president of marketing at a green building materials business. Earlier in her career, Marcy was involved in helping high technology companies build facilities. Since construction was an industry she really enjoyed, she asked her friend to introduce her to the vice president of marketing. It just so happened that the vice president was thinking about hiring a director of marketing. Her first interview went very well because Marcy was the ideal candidate. She had marketing experience, was passionate about being green and had a background in building construction. Four months after starting her job search, Marcy found her dream job and she couldn’t be happier.
* Fictitious name is used to protect the privacy of the job seeker.
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