Job hunting is stressful. It is especially difficult for new grads, or anyone looking for a job for the first time, entering the worst job market in decades. Confidence is a result of our experiences. With no previous experience looking for a job, patience and perseverance might be difficult to tap into in the face of rejection. Yet, both are fundamentally necessary in order to muster the much-needed persistence and determination to walk on the uncertain path that is the corporate hiring process. Rejection is par for the course and inevitable. But it doesn’t signify failure. There are many reasons behind hiring decisions, and why even great candidates get rejected. The key to a successful job search is to not take rejection personally. Every “no thank you” means you are one rejection closer to success.
The consistent message to job seekers is to be a “great fit” for the company and the position. Career coaches teach candidates how to match their skills to employers’ key words and requirements. Job search success is all about tailoring the process to meet the needs of a specific role within an organizational structure and the competitive climate of an industry. Candidates are often the recipients of the message that the hiring process is all about helping the hiring manager realize the value they’d bring to the table. It’s all about the job requirements.
Job hunting is both an art and a science. On the one hand it is very formulaic in that it requires solid research, data analysis, strategy, planning, preparation, and performance tracking. It calls for a lot of brain power. But the process is also creative, involving intuitive judgment. When it’s time for a job change (whether by choice, or external factors), the secret sauce is you – being able to connect with people, grab attention, and make your career story authentic and compelling. There are people out there offering “simple” formulas to attract your dream job. However, it is my experience that nothing about seeking employment is simple, or easy. There is no scientific formula nor a roadmap to assess self-actualization and to reach full potential. It is an ongoing quest for self-knowledge. With each new experience we gain data and insights to optimize our performance.
Therefore, a successful job search must balance the meticulous work of optimizing for, matching to, and meeting the needs of each position as well as the more intuitive self-reflection to match it to self-interests and needs. Regardless of the impetus, looking for new job is an opportunity to re-evaluate and proactively choose what’s next. The goal of landing a new job should be pursued with zest, yet it is just as important to respect personal needs. The best approach for finding not just a job, but the right job for long-term satisfaction and well-being, is to have the courage to acknowledge the “wanting” that arises without judgment, blame, or shame. Turn inward, tune into your intuition, and gently listen to that inner voice, where your wisdom & power reside.
When you talk about your work, you can either:
Tell employers what they want to hear (even if that work makes you miserable)
Put out into the world what you really want to do next in your career
Most people choose the first option because it’s safer.
I’d like to offer the idea that respecting your needs will not hinder your progress, but rather it will accelerate your success. A need implies wanting. Wanting is an energy. When we listen, it can point us in the right direction. Let the yearning for more, or better, direct your actions. Break away from an old mold that may no longer fit to pave the way for a new beginning that feels just right.
A solid strategy is a bringing together, merging two complimenting sets of needs – the employer’s and yours. Here’s how:
Assess the Employer’s Needs
Research the company’s website: pay attention to themes that come up repeatedly, the problems the company is trying to solve, and what it needs in order to compete & succeed in the marketplace.
Carefully consider the job description: pay attention to the position “needs” (requirements)
Gauge the hiring manger’s needs: if you were the hiring manager, what would you look for?
Honor Your Own Needs
Let frustration run through you to highlight what is not working and you want less of
Let the wanting wash over you to highlight all the possibilities for what you want more of
Identify the gap between where you are and where you want to be. Get grounded in action
The right job is the sweet spot between the employer’s needs and your own. It is the place where your personal strengths and powers overlap with those workplaces where you can thrive. When you find it, you position yourself for long-term success.
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