When it comes to landing a new job, there are multiple pieces of the puzzle. There are many different factors at play in finding a job where you can thrive. There are so many factors that if you start listing them in your head, you could get dizzy.
Let’s see…
There’s the obvious stuff. Yes.
“Do you have the right education or skills?”
But there’s also the less obvious stuff. “Do your values align with those of the people you are seeking to work for?
There’s stuff that is under your control.
What you can study, who you can connect with, the volunteer work you can do.
And there stuff that isn’t under anyone’s control.
The economical situation, a natural disaster, politics. So how can you get a head start in the job hunting process? Can the hunt also be enjoyable and something to look forward to, rather than frustrating? How can you embark on a path that allows you yield more impact with the minimum amount of effort possible? How can you embark on a journey that grants you the chance to strategically connect with meaningful potential employers, rather than throwing ping pong balls left and right, hoping that something sticks?In my opinion, finding a job that fits you boils down to three things.
The way you button up, how you show up, and how you follow up.
In other words, how do you strike the right combination of experience, attitude and luck. The more you invest in understanding how these correlate with each other, the better your chances will be.
Experience (Button up)
What have you done in the past? What’s your superpower? What type of problems can you solve? What results can you bring to the table? Are you into systems, processes, programming or techniques? What can you create? Who do you know? Who knows you? What type of relationships do you have with people? Who partners up with you? Who can you prospect? What’s your educational background? Which are your hard skills? What else can you study? Where can you volunteer?
Attitude (Show up)
What type of personality do you have? What’s your energy like? What the story you tell yourself? What the story you tell to others? What do others say about you when you leave the room? What do you value the most? What are your strongest beliefs? What does your voice sounds like? What do you look like?
Luck (Follow up)
Do you have the wind in your sails or are you lugging an anchor around? How’s the job market and the economy in the area you want to work? Who are you competing against?
There are people that look great on paper, but will never be shortlisted at a particular company.There’s people with career gaps and only a few short years of experience that land the job the want straight away. There are people that find gold in a time of crisis, and folks that just can’t seem to catch a break, even in a bull market.
Almost like a game of rock, paper, scissors, these three factors interweave with each other to produce a particular outcome.
Sometimes attitude beats experience but not luck. Sometimes experience beats luck but not attitude. Sometimes luck beats both. It’s knowing how to handle these three in right balance of them gets you the job. In ways similar to a slot machine at a casino, pull the handle at just the right moment, and the jackpot is all yours!Good luck exists but it needs to find you doing the work. So button up, show up and follow up until you get shortlisted.
