Let's look at three types of Job Seekers: The Baby Birds, The Vultures, and The Eagles. I'd like to tell you a story about how each of them conduct their job search campaigns. On the African plains you will find shrinking water holes that were once large enough to support an entire population of various animals. Predators and prey all drank from the same watering hole when resources were aplenty. But times have changed and the watering hole has shrunk so that only the strong (or the brave) are able to get their share of water. Territories that were once the domain of a feared predator are now taken over by weaker species who have formed alliances. These are survival strategies that we see played out in the corporate world under the guise of Mergers & Acquisitions. In Shakespeare's play, 'The Tempest', Trinculo said, "misery acquaints a man with strange bedfellows." Yes folks, this is the new reality in the job market. A reality that is no longer blurred by national borders and restricted jobs. If you want the challenging jobs that will satisfy your career goals and allow you to grow and prosper professionally, you'll need to present yourself as a person of "value" - and you'll need to form strategic alliances.
The Baby Birds
There are so many job descriptions posted online/print. Job seekers have become dependent on what I call the "baby bird" syndrome. This is where the mother bird flies from the nest each day to go find worms and bugs to bring back to the nest to feed the little baby bird hatchlings. Those little birds become dependent on the mother bird until she kicks them out of the nest. And then for the first time in their lives, they actually have to compete for food on the open market. And there are plenty of predators in the open market! Job descriptions lull job seekers to sleep and into a helpless trance of "apply and wait". Networking is so overused now that the very word has lost some of its efficacy. But in fact it has always been the key to employment - even in ancient times! Word of mouth is how many people differentiated themselves, their handy crafts, their services, their labor, etc. But somewhere along the way, along with all the advances in technology, people forgot to spend more time talking (and listening!) to other people than sending job applications into cyberspace. Technology is meant to make our lives easier and to facilitate once burdensome tasks. But technology has also made it convenient for people to minimize face to face communications. Technology has made people dependent on job postings just like the little baby birds are dependent on the mother bird for food. Do you really want to be the job seeker that sits around in misery because companies are not posting the jobs that YOU want?
The Vultures
These job seekers are the most frightening of all! They are the first to apply to any new job posting in cyberspace. They will hover around the same job boards and apply to the same companies over and over and over. They don't just apply and wait. They apply and hover over a job posting until it withers away and dies. Long after the job has been filled, they will continue to harass the company in hopes of getting lucky. They are well-known in cyberspace and already have multiple warrants out for their capture and dismissal from the résumé database! They are the "me too" job seekers who have nothing of value to offer a company. They will pounce on any company's job board and will use résumé blasting services to send their applications to thousands of employers. They don't even remember (or care) who they apply to. They just want a job - and any job will do! They can no longer discern a good job from a bad job. They wake up each morning like mindless zombies on a singular mission - find new job postings! Indeed, after their long search and feasting on the carcasses of long discarded job postings, they will eventually get hired. And they will bring great misery and heartache to the poor company that does hire them! These job seekers specialize in finding companies with poor selection and interviewing processes. Do you really want to conduct a job search where only the most desperate of companies will hire you?
The Eagles
These are the job seekers who could care less about what job postings are listed online/print. In fact, they rarely use job boards to conduct their search. They are soaring high in the sky and always looking out for opportunities. They have excellent vision and can see possibilities where others see doubt. They operate with precision and accuracy and do not waste their energy on foolish endeavors. They are fierce competitors and do not easily give up at the first sign of difficulty. They have confidence and skills that attract employers to them. They are the object of many a company's desire and companies will go to great lengths to find them! They are in the best position to negotiate the type of job they want as well as the compensation package. These job seekers are also job creators. If they don't see something that appeals to them, they will study the market and find a niche that they can uniquely fill. They seek to leverage their strengths to present a value proposition to prospective employers/clients. These job seekers are highly evolved and sit at the apex of the job seekers' food chain. They are few in number and never have to worry about the competing job seekers on the lower rungs of the food chain. These job seekers usually become the future Aliko Dangote, Steve Jobs, Lakshmi Mittal, Carlos Slim, and other exceptional leaders in the world.
Final Words
Now you know what you have to do in order to be a successful job seeker. Put your strategy together, develop sound tactics, and implement! Work in teams to be more successful. Job searching is not a solitary activity. The team approach will yield quicker and better results. Look at your job search as a team project where each team member's success has a multiplicative effect on the entire group. Your job search really doesn't have to be complicated. Once you discover who you are and what value you bring to the professional world, you'll be much more empowered to convince a hiring manager (or potential client) that your "brand" is indeed the brand to select! And finally, out-read the other job seeker. This may sound basic but many people don't take the time to educate themselves on the latest job search strategies and tactics. And even less people take the time to read deeply about their chosen job function, company, or industry. The more you know about your career goals and the companies/markets you want to serve, the more credible you will sound when you do get your chance to speak to someone who can make a decision regarding your career. Don't let the lack of knowing a minor detail be the nail in your career coffin! Many career opportunities have been lost...all for the want of a nail.
“For want of a nail, the shoe was lost.
For want of a shoe, the horse was lost.
For want of a horse, the rider was lost.
For want of a rider, the battle was lost.
For want of a battle, the kingdom was lost,
And all for the want of a horseshoe nail.”
For want of a shoe, the horse was lost.
For want of a horse, the rider was lost.
For want of a rider, the battle was lost.
For want of a battle, the kingdom was lost,
And all for the want of a horseshoe nail.”
