Career talks: Learn from Jihane Najjar how to search for a job and ask for a promotion

I have a special guest today. A Career and Job Search Coach. Someone who I worked with in the past and honestly admire. For a long time, I didn’t believe in career coaches. I thought it is a fad. I wasted many years without professional help to guide me in my career. Today I realize that I can’t be more wrong. Jihane Najjar won me over when I posted on LinkedIn last year seeking a professional career advice. We connected and she helped me on different levels; She reviewed my CV and LinkedIn profile to emphasize my strengths, competencies and achievements. She coached me on how to handle office stress and when and how to ask for a promotion. She prepped me for a job interview I had at the time. And she taught me how to search for a job. It was a great experience. Beside the professional knowledge I gained, I have to say that talking to Jihane felt like therapy. It kept me going to the office with high spirit. This interview is more about how Jihane helps other progress in their careers rather than peeking onto hers.

Learn about this and much more in this valuable career talk!

My client pool includes high school students as well as experienced professionals and c-level executives. 

Fadi: Jihane, can you tell our readers how important do you think it is to have a career coach? And at what level in one’s career it is most important to work with one? 

Jihane: Whenever you feel you need one. My client pool includes high school students as well as experienced professionals and c-level executives. High school students come to me seeking advice because they feel confused about what studies to pursue. Experienced professionals, managers and c-level executives ask for advice when they feel they are bored with what they have been doing for a while or not motivated anymore, not rewarded enough, etc. Sometimes they are happy where they are but they have the curiosity to explore other options (industries, fields, etc.) so they contact me because they want to speak to someone who might help them with that. 

I guess many people know that they might benefit from hiring a career or job search coach, but what keeps them from taking the step of hiring one is the financial investment they have to make. I often hear “I knew I needed help; however, I was not convinced that I should invest money in this; but now I am”. 

My Career/Job Search Coaching experience officially started during Covid and also the economic crisis in Lebanon and worldwide.

Fadi: I can see how passionate you are about helping others find the right job and progress in their careers. How did you start and how did you develop your skills and knowledge to be such the expert you are today? 

Jihane: Some of us get the chance to be exposed to a wide range of experiences in a short time, while others take a slower career path. I believe I was lucky since I have always been in very demanding jobs that required self-learning, independent decision-making, performing under pressure, and in changing environments. I also got the chance to work with senior experts in their fields that inspired me, motivated me and pushed me to do more. My point here is that I climbed the stairs fast the first 10 years of my career and I learnt so much during this time, and I am grateful for that.

My Career/Job Search Coaching experience officially started during Covid and also the economic crisis in Lebanon and worldwide. Many people were looking for work in the UAE, Lebanon and even in Europe and Canada. I started receiving calls from friends, friends of friends, previous clients and colleagues, acquaintances, etc. asking for support in finding work. They approached me because of the Executive Search that I do and the HR contacts that I have. In the past, I used to refer people or coach people without charging any fees because it was something secondary that I enjoyed doing in my free time to help. When demand became higher, and I couldn’t do it for free anymore because more time was required, people started asking me to charge them a fee and take them as clients. I thought about it and I formalized the process. I defined my services and started charging for his kind of work. It all happened by chance and it wasn’t planned.

When I receive an inquiry, I offer a 15 min intro call with the potential client to talk more about what I do, how I do it, and hear about the client’s expectations.

Fadi: I know you do this job from home on a consultancy basis. You are your own boss - luck you! You decide which clients to work with and who you want to help. Is it difficult finding clients and convince them to work with a career coach? 

Jihane: The only “marketing” I do is my content and engagement on LinkedIn, and when I am interviewed and speak about my work. I have enough clients that come to me either through referrals or because they follow me on LinkedIn and know about my work. I never approach clients directly to sell a service, and there is no need to do it at present. Between the HR consulting work, the executive search and the coaching that I do, my schedule is full.

When I receive an inquiry, I offer a 15 min intro call with the potential client to talk more about what I do, how I do it, and hear about the client’s expectations. At the end of the call, I ask the person to think about it, research it and see if they want to do it. I don’t like pushing people into anything. It should be their choice and it should meet their expectations and budget.

Fadi: You are a work-from-home mom. You have to manage the load of the work while at the same time taking care of your home and adorable kids. Anyone having kids would know that it is not an easy job. How do you do it? 

Jihane: In fact, while answering your questions, I have my son speaking to me about Pokemon cards 😊

I try to maintain a work-life balance but I go insane sometimes! I have a voice in my head constantly telling me, “calm down, you can do it!”

My kids are still very young and they need time, attention and patience. I always remind myself that I chose working from home and being my own boss because they need me. They still get sick often, and they need me to be fully present at certain times of the day like bedtime and wake up time, meal time, etc. so they are not totally independent yet but they will be soon and it will get easier.

Having a schedule helped me a lot. I book “me days” in advance; this is time for me to exercise, go out, do nothing. I also decided a while back to stop working when my kids get home from school and I resume work when they sleep, and this helped as well. What works for me during the summer is taking time off, I decided two years back to stop working every August. I only take urgent work that can’t wait. August is for my kids and my sanity maintenance 😊. I also speak to my kids about my work, how important it is to me, to them and to my clients, and I noticed that they have become more supportive over time. I also hire help when possible and order food when I can’t cook.

Fadi: You have criticized other recruiters before, many of which who are not very professional in dealing with their clients. They reach out to people to collect CVs and then they disappear. They never give proper feedback to candidates. What other unprofessional practices you have been observing and wish to change? 

Jihane: Yes, I have heard so many stories from my clients about that, and at some point it really upset me so I had to write about it. I am a recruiter too and an HR Consultant, so I am familiar with the hiring process from every angle and with best practices. It takes effort to reply to candidates and sometimes recruiters are not equipped with the best technology/ tools to improve recruitment process efficiency, so they fail to deliver the best service; however, we all need to stay human and respect others. I posted once about that, not because it was trendy, but because I was fed up! The easiest way for recruiters is to tell the candidate that he/she will be contacted again if shortlisted, and it will be even nicer if the recruiter could give a timeframe (sometimes it’s not easy). Communication and managing expectations are key during the recruitment process. 

Remember that one person will be hired per job and if you don’t get this job, you will get the next one or the one after.

Fadi: For someone looking for a job, what are the top tips you can give? 

Jihane: There are plenty of tips online, such as where to search, how to follow a schedule and make it a daily task, using your network, etc… so I will focus on the psychological aspect because it drives and impacts the rest:

• I know it gets unbearable sometimes, especially when you stay unemployed for months. Financial commitments pile up and you feel it’s the end of the world. Try to be patient and stay focused on the job search process. Don’t let frustration win over patience.
• Believe in yourself and don’t take any rejection too personal or as a sign that you are not capable or not good enough for the job. Remember that one person will be hired per job and if you don’t get this job, you will get the next one or the one after.

Fadi: For someone seeking a promotion, what are the steps you advise them to take? 

Jihane: Great question. I have seen people ask for a promotion and get turned down because they either asked at the wrong time or for the wrong reasons.

First:

An employee should be objective in assessing his/her eligibility and readiness for a promotion. Ask yourself, “do I really deserve it”, “ am I up to the challenge?” and “what specific reasons can I give to my manager and/or HR to convince them to sign on this promotion”?

Second:

Make sure you are asking at the right time. The best time is during the formal performance review process if your company has one. This is the time when you have everyone’s attention without asking for it; your manager’s, HR and even your second line manager are involved in this process and will read or listen to your request naturally. It’s the best time to get your message though; can’t get easier and more formal than this!

If your company does not have a formal review process, here is what I recommend:

If your manager is distracted or has pressing priorities, it might not be a good time to ask for a promotion. If your company is struggling financially, it’s not a good time (unless you are happy with a change in title without the pay raise that comes with it). Usually, if a company is undergoing major restructuring, downsizing, a merger, an acquisition, it is not a good time to ask; however, there are exceptions. If you know that a new higher role is being created and you are interested in it, speak up and explain why you can do it before it’s too late!

It’s not easy to track success stories because the impact of my work is long-term most of the times

Fadi: I’d like to hear some success stories from people you have worked with in the past. What can you share with us?

Jihane: …and I’d like to hear about times when clients were unhappy with my service or dissatisfied 😊. I am more interested in receiving this kind of feedback because it helps me improve my services and meet client expectations. I try to stay in touch with everyone I work with, although it’s difficult sometimes, in order to see what is working for them and what is not, what was helpful and what was not. 

Now back to your question, it’s not easy to track success stories because the impact of my work is long-term most of the times, so if the client doesn’t contact me to update me, I might not know what is going on. In general, I have received good feedback from my clients. Some started to feel more comfortable managing job interviews, others discovered what their strength or passion is, some realized that their communication style with potential employers/recruiters was not very efficient and needed to change, others were able to overcome the frustration of the job search process by replacing the passive waiting with positive actions and more proactivity, some resisted using LinkedIn for networking at first but ended up loving it and making great connections through it, etc.

The most recent successes that I can recall are:

• Helping a CFO negotiate a job offer in Dubai and he got the package he wanted.
• Working with a teacher to get her first job in Dubai and she did it in less than 2 months.
• Helping a client discover what her key skills and professional strength are, and designing a job search strategy based on that which helped in finding a job.
• I also helped some clients in developing their leaderships skills (saying no when they want to, and asking for their rights, etc.)

If someone is reading this and likes to share how I helped, I would love to read your comments.

How you ask for what you want matters a lot.

Fadi: Have you ever advised anyone on a career move that backfired? For example, someone asking for a promotion, and you see that if he puts more pressure by submitting his resignation, he’d have a better chance in getting promoted. He does this and ends up jobless. Did anything like this happen with you before? How do you usually advise your clients on the right moves and right tactics to make? 

Jihane: No one ever told me that they experienced this. Maybe it happened but they never told me!! How you ask for what you want matters a lot. I believe that communication is key during the job search process as well as at work. If you are a good communicator and negotiator, you get what you want easier.

I always advise my clients not to burn bridges and to build a case when they ask for a pay raise, a promotion, help/ staff, etc. I also prepare them to be ready for a rejection because sometimes they won’t get what they want.  As a coach, I don’t have control over the employer or the external circumstances, so I cannot guarantee outcomes; what I can guarantee is that my clients acquire new skills that help them get what they want, be it a job, a promotion, a pay raise, improving their relationship with their manager, attending a training workshop etc.

Fadi: Mention 3 individuals who inspires you in how they turned their careers around and made outstanding progress.

My mother comes first. She left a successful career in nursing to become a mother of four. Yes, motherhood is a full-time job, so I consider this a career shift. This is a message to all stay-at-home mums that speak to me and tell me about how frustrating it is sometimes; that they feel unproductive or stuck. Remember that motherhood is a full-time job when you decide to stay at home. In fact, it is the only job where you are really indispensable and irreplaceable. Have you ever heard of a mother that was fired?!

Then, there is a lady that I did hypnotherapy sessions with. I don’t know if she knows that I found her story very inspiring because I never said it to her directly. I am talking about Zimmy Khan whom I met almost 10 year ago when I needed a hypnotherapist. She left a career in advertising to becoming a life coach/hypnotherapist, etc. She resides in Dubai and this is a link to her business (Home Page (epiphany-zk.com) . I enjoyed my sessions with her and they were life-changing.

The third person would be Azza Fahmy, who decided to leave her interior design career to become an entrepreneur and a big name in jewelry crafting. Here is a link to her recent interview with Anas Bukhash.

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