It’s no secret that most people experience a lot of stress when they’re hunting for jobs. I can’t say I blame them: ultimately a job hunt is a process that requires another person to make a huge decision affecting our lives. When you’re on the hunt, you’re hoping that someone says “yes” and unlocks your dreams.
Inward Focus
In these situations, it’s natural to turn inward. We focus on ourselves – our qualifications, our resume, cover letter, and the hopes and goals we have for our lives. When we don’t get the outcome we wanted we take it as a measure of our lack. When we get what we wanted, we take it as a personal triumph.
Organizations aren’t in the job-giving business
The problem with such an inward mindset is that organizations don’t exist to generously give you a job. That’s not why they’re around. Organizations revolve around missions: profit and/or a social or environmental cause. The company you’re approaching for a position isn’t trying to get you a job. They’re trying to get a job done.
Spammy Process
The upside to the world of online job applications is that they make it easy to apply to any job, anywhere. The downside to the world of online job applications is that they make it easy to apply to any job, anywhere. People hear about their peers applying to dozens of jobs, so they apply to dozens of jobs to “increase their chances.” The result is that organizations are inundated with applications and have a hard time sifting through to find the true believers.
Service Focus
What would it look like if you didn’t play that game? What if you did the filtering for yourself, rather than forcing a hiring manager to do it for you? Imagine if you did the research, formed the connections, and then only applied to positions you truly believed you brought something important to.
Imagine if you only sought employment in places whose mission filled you with fire.
Would you stand out?
Here’s a quote that I find compelling:
“If you believe your product or service can fulfill a true need, it’s your moral obligation to sell it.”
Zig Ziglar
A moral obligation to sell yourself?
Sure! If you can meet a need but don’t make yourself available, you’re robbing the organization that needs you of an opportunity. This isn’t permission to be pushy or salesy. But it is an invitation to follow a different process.
Stop applying to dozens of jobs you don’t really care about. Instead, do the research to find places where you truly meet their need and their mission. When you genuinely put their mission above your own, you become extremely attractive. You’re focused on what you can give, not what you can get.
If you do that, then you should grab onto their attention and not let go until they’ve had every chance to say “yes.”
If you’d like to learn how to grab that attention and land your dream job without spamming out dozens of applications to places you don’t really care about, then you’ll love the workshop that I’m developing for the Intentional Academy. It’s almost ready! Be sure to enter your name and email address in the boxes below and I’ll let you know when this opportunity is ready for you!
