This short episode is about the most powerful question for finding work – either a full time job or consulting projects.
Episode
167

HOW TO THRIVE AS AN
INDEPENDENT PROFESSIONAL

HOW TO THRIVE AS AN
INDEPENDENT PROFESSIONAL
This short episode is about the most powerful question for finding work – either a full time job or consulting projects.
Will Bachman 00:02
One of the most powerful questions I’ve learned is, what do you think of this list? Hey, welcome to Unleashed the show that explores how to thrive as an independent professional. I’m your host, Will Bachman. Over a decade ago, I worked with a career coach named Ellis Chase, who taught me a very powerful technique. It’s blindingly obvious, perhaps, but I’ve seen few people actually do this. And this tip works well. If you’re looking for a full time job, or if you’re a consultant looking for project opportunities. Make a list of the companies where you’d like to work as either a full time employee or a consultant. If there’s two or three industries or sectors that interests you make separate lists for each one. Now you get bonus points. If you also have a list of companies in the industry, where you do not want to work. Then when you meet with someone, don’t ask, Hey, can you introduce me to someone at one of these companies? That question kind of puts them on the spot? Instead ask, what do you think of this list? Then the other person has some degrees of freedom. They may ask you, Oh, you’ve included a, b and c. What about company? Ah, they may say, Oh, no, you shouldn’t bother with Company B, it is a terrible culture. And if they know someone, they may well volunteer, oh, Company A. I know their SVP of strategy. I’m happy to make an introduction. When you have a piece of paper with a list, it shows your professional shows you’ve done your homework, and people respect that. So that’s it for this episode. You can ask me a question or sign up for the weekly Unleashed email or download the transcript of any past episode at ask unleashed.com Unleashed is a production of Umbrex, the world’s first global community connecting top tier independent management consultants with one another. You can learn more about umbrex@umbrex.com that’s UMBR e x. Thanks for listening.