The One Time It’s Okay to Gossip
What’s the one time it’s okay to gossip? When you’re looking for a job. Discussion of your job search should not be reserved for close friends/family or headhunters or official networking events. If you’re looking for work or thinking about looking for work, you shouldn’t hesitate to tell everyone you know the particulars, and encourage those people to talk to the people in their networks. This is because you never know when you will meet someone, or be introduced to someone, who will be in a position to help you.
Here’s an example. One of my friends recently moved from New York City to Cambridge in the UK as a result of her boyfriend’s job. For her part, she was in need of a senior-level position in a financial services firm. So instead of relying on her resumes and cover letters to make their way across the pond, my friend simply started talking. Turns out one of her good friends from college currently worked with a woman from Cambridge who was well-connected in the financial industry. The college friend was able to set her up for several informational interviews as soon as she arrived in town.
As a career advice person, I normally advocate discretion in all circumstances. But the bottom line is, when it comes to your job search, you can never gossip or talk about yourself too much. After all, if people don’t know what you’re up to, they will be powerless to support you.
Tagged as
communication,
interviewing, job searching, networking.
Alexandra Levit
Alexandra Levit’s goal is to help people find meaningful jobs - quickly and simply - and to succeed beyond measure once they get there. A former nationally syndicated columnist for the Wall Street Journal and a current contributor for Fortune and Metro US, Alexandra has authored several books, including the bestselling They Don't Teach Corporate in College, How'd You Score That Gig?, Success for Hire, MillennialTweet, and New Job, New You. Her book on the top myths of business success is due out from Penguin/Berkley in the fall of 2011. Since serving as a member of Business Roundtable's Springboard Project, which advised the Obama administration on current workplace issues, Alexandra produced the critically acclaimed JobSTART 101 (www.jobstart101.org), a free online course that better prepares college students and graduates for the challenges of the workplace. She is a frequent national media spokesperson and has been featured in thousands of outlets including the New York Times, USA Today, National Public Radio, ABC News, Fox News, CNBC, the Associated Press, Glamour, and Cosmopolitan. In 2010, she was named Money Magazine's Online Career Expert of the Year and the author of one of Forbes' best websites for women. Known as one of the premiere spokespeople of her generation, Alexandra regularly speaks at conferences, universities, and corporations around the world including the American Society for Training and Development, Campbell's Soup, McDonalds, and Whirlpool — on issues facing modern employees such as how to communicate effectively between generations.
