Job Search: Finding an Industry Ecosystem

Do you know how an aquarium works? Most aquariums have water, a tank system, and fish. Some have other animals and organisms like snails, plants, and coral that help balance the environment.

While it would create a beautiful arrangement to add items based on color alone, there’s a catch. You can’t just throw animals and plants together randomly in an aquarium. The ecosystem has to be able to work together; otherwise, the aquarium won’t survive.

By definition, an ecosystem is just that - a complex network or interconnected system - and they exist everywhere in our lives. While they’re most evident in nature, ecosystems are also the foundation of our connection to community, family, and work. For these different social ecosystems to run smoothly, the people and pieces involved need to work together.

Take the creation of a widget or new product, for example. One person created an idea. Bringing that idea to market will require intricate ecosystems of relationships to exist. That product relies on so many individuals before it ever sees the store shelf. This weaves an intricate web of opportunities for someone looking for a job.

Finding An Industry Ecosystem

Often when you begin a job search, it’s easy to focus solely on elements of the business ecosystem you’ve worked in before. By dissecting all of the different moving parts that make a business work, you may discover new, exciting roles.

Consider the relationships you’ve made during previous roles - perhaps vendors, contractors, or distributors. Many of these relationships have intersections. Think about the people you interact with as your first chain - the people they interact with are the second rings in your relationship chain.

As your job search proceeds, make an ongoing list of these relationships, chains, and networks within your ecosystems. Here, you will find the most opportunities and many valuable relationships. In fact, your next job search may end at the intersection of those connections.

You may also discover new roles you didn’t know existed. Finding companies you may want to work at is about understanding the intersection of relationships, roles, industries, and locations. Reflect on your connections and experiences in your business ecosystem and use that knowledge in your job search.

Finding your next role is about broadening your search. Reflect on relationships across your career and reach out. You never know who could help you find your next role.

Read on for more ways to make your job search a success: Job Search: Finding Connections in Your Ecosystem