For those of you who have been following this blog, you probably know that while I own and operate my own business, The Hired Pen, I am currently seeking a full-time position in an organization that will benefit from my more than 15 years of accomplishments in marketing, communications, public/media relations, and customer service.
That's part of my standard "elevator pitch", which--as any savvy job hunter knows--is a powerful weapon in the job hunter's arsenal. As a marketer, I know that I have a very limited time to summarize and communicate my unique value in a compelling and memorable way.
The "elevator pitch" is the key that opens the door to sending a potential networking partner or employer my "networking one-pager". That particular document whets their appetite to see my resume, and thus the dance begins.
Which leads me to the subject of this entry: The similarities between job hunting and dating.
Similarity 1: Like dates, there are plenty of jobs out there. Job searching is a numbers game. To successfully find employment, job seekers need to target a wide range of employers. The more résumés you distribute and the more you network, the better chance you have of landing interviews and a job.
It's like dating: To successfully find a date, single people need to target a wide range of potential mates. The more you "put yourself out there" (that is, networking), the better chance you have of landing a suitable mate.
Similarity 2: Desperation in job searching, like desperation in dating, can only lead to a bad end. Pursue too much and you seem desperate. Pursue too little and you seem indifferent, lackadaisical, uninterested. Desperation, they say, is the world's worst cologne.
Similarity 3: Like dating, the job search process is almost always done independently. You scrutinize the want ads, reach out to potential employers and target companies, get turned down for a job, and wonder why. Likewise, in dating, you look at and reach out to the universe of potential mates, get rejected, and wonder why.
Similarity 4: Like dating, job searching involves similar questions that eat at your ego... To wit: Why didn't they call me? Should I call them? How long should I wait before I call them? What's taking so long for them to get back to me? What did I do wrong? Aren't I good enough? Everyone else has a job/date, what's wrong with me that I can't get a job/date?
In these kinds of situations, without relevant information and feedback, it's easy to project the wreckage of the future. It's not easy to wait, which brings me to the next similarity.
Similarity 5: Job searching and dating are really matters of timing and waiting. If the time is right, the job (or the date) will come. If it isn't, you wait and repeat. Ultimately, you'll get it right. The process is as much about the journey as it is the destination.
During my own job search journey, I'm learning a lot about my professional goals and personal attributes. I'm also discovering a lot about people with whom I've been networking, about my friends, and about the organizations where I have applied for full time employment. That's another similarity between job searching and dating.
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