Comments From Gimmick Command – Job Networking & The Space Industry

In today’s edition of Comments from Gimmick Command, we’re covering Job Networking & the Space Industry.  Note however that Networking covers ALL industries, vocations, and other career disciplines.  It’s importance cannot be overstated!

How is it possible for a person who got laid off from one company to get back into another company in the Space Industry or any other career / discipline? You might wonder how it was possible to return to work?

The answer?  Job Networking!  Just within the past 5 years or so, social media has become a great driving force in helping job seekers get new jobs.  For at least the past 10 years, networking with others you know in the industry has been a greater determinant in getting a new job than just submitting your resume and keeping your fingers crossed that it would pass the Human Resources group of the company you’re applying to and get to the hiring manager.

That is not enough any more.  You need to have a presence on social media.  The answer came in a form of “Facebook” for job seekers and employed professionals . . . Linkedin.  It started out simply as a business social gathering, but it has risen in just the past few years to the height of being co-equal to a submitted resume.

Linkedin ties in with Job Networking being the number one way of getting a new job, and it makes it much easier.  You can look up former company collegues, invite them to be online contacts, get referrals for skill sets based in your expertise and trade, give referrals and reviews of your fellow contacts, and elaborate on your experiences with each company you’ve worked for.  Both your business contacts and hiring managers of any company you apply to want to know what you’re about.  In other words, they want to know what your employment and work passion is.  They want to see you proactively and constantly engage your contacts, and post articles on career-relevant topics and ideas to your post-feed.  It is a great “pre” ice-breaker, and puts you in a better position to pull ahead of other competing job-seekers.

This is especially important for engineers, scientists, and other tech workers.  In just the past 10 years or so, engineers (such as myself) have seen their directly-employed longevity at a company begin to not surpass the half-life ownership of the current iPhone.  I’ve found myself having to do three things: 1) Engage my contacts for any future work opportunities,, 2) look for new contacts to get to know ahead of time ahead of the eventual current-job downturn, and 3) diversify your career and salary into several income streams that compliment each other that can be done simultaneously and will eventually generate residual income (or “income while you sleep”) to balance out your finances/livelihood while looking for more corporate work or building your own business (NOTE:  I plan to talk more about #3 before long, so stay tuned).

In the case of one engineer I know, the job he took after being laid off from a previous space firm began to have problems right away, but didn’t know until he got there and signed an NDA (non-disclosure agreement).  After 3 months, he began to query some of his old contacts and asked if there might be some jobs potentially open.  He conversed on Linkedin and he said he’d keep some feelers out for the old company.  All said and done, it took another 2 1/2 weeks, but literally 27 days after the 2nd layoff in 10 months, he began a job at another company . . . LIVING PROOF of the power of networking and the importance of a good, Ideal Linkedin profile that’s proactively used and updated.

As for myself, and a prelude to a diversified income stream article (for a later post date), I’ve started my own company called Rocky Mountain Resumes LLC (see rockymountainresumesllc.com).

I am a professionally registered member of the Professional Association of Resume Writers and Career Coaches (or PARW/cc), and I’m a local Chamber of Commerce member (in Monument, CO).

I market services such as professional Resume and Linkedin reviews (for those who want advice on how they can update them),  Resume and Linkedin Writing & Edits (for those who want ME to do the job for them), and design/build Small Business Websites and/or Blogs (for Small-Business owners whose “resume” is basically their company website posted for potential, future paying customers/clients).

I’ve found so many of my clients have focused on their resume, but have neglected to form a Linkedin profile or have a minimalist one that has nearly no content beyond their name and the current company their at.  I’ve instructed them on how to build their Ideal Resume and Ideal Linkedin profile, and how they both need to convey their passion for their industry/job/vocation . . . or what I call their Niche Career.

They need to know that to stand a better chance than the next professional gunning for their job, they have to convey Niche Career PASSION and DRIVE for what they’re applying for.  Having a Space Electrical Engineering background (and I genuinely love it most of all alongside other Space-related Engineering technologies), I’ve done that in my own Resume and Linkedin profile . . . and IT WORKS!!!  I can’t tell my clients to do this unless I’m doing and living it myself.

So in conclusion, if you’re a job seeker and/or a professional seeking more professional connections, the Ideal Linkedin profile is just as essential as the Ideal Resume.  I challenge everyone to pay close attention and get as much instruction and knowledge on this as possible.  And perhaps you could even come to me, Ben Faltinowski, for help.   As before, I can perform affordably-priced reviews of a client’s Resume and Linkedin profile (for those who want advice but do the work themselves), OR I can write & format their Resume and Linkedin profile for an increased price if they so want.

Thanks to the power of the internet, I’ve served clients from my town of Monument, CO to as far as New York City . . . and would love to help you too!

Please see www.rockymountainresumesllc.com or www.facebook.com/rockymountainresumes for details.  If what I’ve done can work for me, I know it can work for you!

For The Great Galactic Space Gimmick, I’m Gimmick Commander Ben Faltinowski! 🙂

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