Getting your player ready...
Here is a familiar scenario: You have held your present job for over five years, and without warning, you have a new boss with a radically different vision of your role. The company has been sold and is being restructured. The bottom line is you are now unemployed, with a résumé that hasn’t been updated for years, and a professional network that has died from benign neglect. Add to this the fact that, as an introvert, you hate to network, and it’s easy to understand the temptation to panic.
Not so fast! Introverts possess several natural advantages, advantages you will want to leverage in your search. For the purposes of this discussion, we can say that most introverts are energized by solitary work or pursuits, while conversely finding that interaction with people depletes their energy. Take a few hints from this list of ideas to boost your confidence and take advantage of your natural strengths as an introvert: 1. Stop and take inventory of your strengths. Revisit and write out your best success stories, emphasizing challenges you have faced, specific actions you have taken and measurable results you have driven. Most introverts tend to think before they act. Turn this into an advantage over colleagues who broadcast their availability before they have a plan of action. 2. Tap into a select few colleagues for feedback. Introverts typically don’t like to talk about themselves and thus shy away from self-promotion. Keep your list of advisers short and gather brief feedback on strengths, direction and new contacts. That way, you won’t sap your energy. 3. Avoid negative self-talk. Evaluate the end of your tenure through an honest, fair lens. Don’t be harshly self-critical, as that can paralyze even the most upbeat professional. Take away the valuable lessons you can, and focus on creating future successes. 4. Grab an extrovert and get busy networking! Yes, you still have to get out of your comfort zone. Let a trusted extrovert-friend help you break the ice at networking events through valuable introductions. Be selective in your networking efforts so that you conserve your “people energy” for the most important profession-boosting functions. 5. Volunteer at the registration table. Volunteer in your professional association meetings and see how good it feels to help others. Meanwhile, you will be making new contacts with less effort and greater ease.
