I was talking to a friend the other day who is "in the market".
I talk to a lot of people who are in that situation, and I most sincerely want to help them in any way that I can. I realize this conversation matters whether you already have a job... or don't... because most people I know that have a job, want a better and bigger one!
Most often, people define themselves by what they have done, and the terms, titles and nomenclature of how they have done it. It often sounds like a long, lifeless, corporate menu that sounds so very similar to everyone else's resume.
And, I find myself working inside my own mind to translate what they have done, combined with what the kind of position they say they are looking for - and I try to "assess" in my mind the proverbial FIT with existing opportunities I know about within my company or to somehow connect them with people that I know.
Then, I start trying to SEE THEM... FIGURE THEM out... what do THEY like, what MOTIVATES them, what they dream about, what are they REALLY looking for... WHO ARE THEY?
Because not having a job, while potentially very stressful... is FREEDOM... It is a moment when you are most likely to be able to have a conversation with yourself and figure out WHO YOU REALLY ARE & WHAT YOU REALLY LOVE... WHAT IS YOUR PURPOSE?
Figuring that stuff out can be a difficult process... or not. A friend of mine told me yesterday finding my purpose was easy, "What do YOU do for FREE - that's meaningful & productive, because you love it, because it brings you joy?... Bringing that to the world... That's your purpose", she said...
I digress...
Let me assure you - figuring out your purpose... who you are... is A WHOLE LOT MORE DIFFICULT FOR THE PERSON INTERVIEWING YOU FROM THE OTHER SIDE OF THE TABLE, and almost always it feels like I am trying to peel an onion, solve a mystery, and once I do then plug a square peg into a round hole.
In our conversation yesterday I asked my friend lots of questions - that's kind of my thing... and the more I asked, the more excited and frustrated I got...
Here is this man who is truly gifted; he is intelligent, articulate, passionate, ambitious, organized, hard-working... He has gifts to share... I can tell... but they are hidden under all of the things he has concluded that he is supposed to say and be....
... and I get the challenge of having someone who has had various really valuable experiences "FIT" into an existing new opportunity with all of its "requirements and criteria".
That's when it hit me...
STOP TRYING TO GET A JOB!
SHOW PEOPLE WHO YOU ARE... BRING IT!!!! Bring your energized, can-do, open minded, curious, positive soul and being... and you will change the question in their mind from...
"Does this guy FIT the criteria for this role?"
TO
"How do I get this guy ON MY TEAM!"
Ultimately - YOU DON'T WANT TO FIND A JOB... You want to find a group of people that sees you and likes what they see... A group of people playing out a strategy that interests you... that you can get behind... that you can build a passion for...
My advice to people looking for a job is - BRING IT!!! Bring ENERGY, curiosity, candor, can-do open mindedness to your conversation and watch what happens.
The fact is NONE of us tend to know exactly what we need to know for the next opportunity in our lives. And, unless you've had the EXACT job you are applying for (often in a similar company) you won't "match" the criteria.
SO - don't work so hard to be a match, to fit the expectations or criteria... work harder at being someone NOBODY WANTS TO PASS UP! BRING IT!
Now, be careful, you certainly don't want to come across as a know it all... don't pretend to HAVE the answers... but be OPEN to finding the answers, to the experience, and be CONFIDENT that you can and will figure it out because you've always figured it out before.
Ray Krok met the McDonald's brothers when he was 52. I heard about a book written by a homeless woman that got a small job and started working with a computer and created a 100 million dollar company selling goods through ebay or amazon...
ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE... and almost everyone wants to work with people that TRULY believe that!
ASK QUESTIONS, but you must be authentically curious.
SHARE THOUGHTS, but they must be relevant and thoughtful (not just the soundbyte you always use)...
BRING IT! BE FULLY ENGAGED in the CONVERSATION... Don't ask canned questions... follow the energy. "What are you missing on the team today?", "Why are YOU excited to come into work everyday?", "What's the thing you wish you could change about this business? About the way you guys approach it?" ASK MEANINGFUL QUESTIONS - AND BE INTERESTED in the answer...
ANYTHING is POSSIBLE with effort and plans and brainstorming and teamwork... There is a line between coming across as trying to reinvent everything and passionate about making stuff better. There is a line between being a know it all, and being crazy confident that there is virtually nothing that you can't learn.
BRING IT! BE FULLY ENGAGED in the CONVERSATION... Don't ask canned questions... follow the energy. "What are you missing on the team today?", "Why are YOU excited to come into work everyday?", "What's the thing you wish you could change about this business? About the way you guys approach it?" ASK MEANINGFUL QUESTIONS - AND BE INTERESTED in the answer...
Don't go into an interview (in my opinion) trying to get a job...
Go into an interview ready to SHOW and SHARE YOUR ENERGY... YOUR PASSION... YOUR AMBITION... YOUR THOUGHT PROCESS... heck, EVEN YOUR FEARS... and if you are talking to the right company - they won't want to live without you.
Go into an interview to show them why they'd be crazy to want to live without you... BRING IT!
It's BOLD... but BOLD stands out...
I see SO MANY people hiding who they are behind the person they think they are supposed to be... hiding what they really think behind the things they feel they are supposed to say...
Don't hide in humility... BE BOLD & AMBITIOUSLY HUMBLE...
Don't be your little self... be your BIG self... be the BIGGEST version of yourself, not with arrogance, but with energy and authenticity... BE YOUR SELF!
Don't put it on the interviewee to FIGURE out if you are a FIT... put it on them to be CONVINCED you've GOT TO BE ON THEIR TEAM - the role is almost an afterthought.
There are NO pegs and holes... real jobs and real people are complex and complicated... AND POWERFUL.
I would argue - I could put a person with a GREAT ATTITUDE, A WILLINGNESS TO LEARN, and A HUMILITY TO ASK QUESTIONS into ANY job in the company... and they would do GREAT and bring unique value to the role.
I've been there... I've seen "BRING IT"... and I know how COMPLETELY different the conversation becomes behind closed doors.
If you don't have a job you like or a job at all...
EVERY conversation you have is a LEAD and an OPPORTUNITY!
And, pace matters... you need to make lots of meetings happen... every meeting you have should get you leads to at least two more... More meetings means more possibilities and more opportunity to practice your boldness...
BE BIG & BOLD... BRING YOUR ENERGY and stop worrying about the fit... The fit will either be there or it wont... but if you bring ENERGY - people will want to help you even if they can't place you in their firm.
And, if they don't like you, don't SEE you, don't value your energy - YOU DON'T WANT TO BE THERE ANYWAY!
Remember, nobody "wants" to help someone else find a job...
But everyone would LOVE to make introductions to someone who will knock your socks off... who will wow you... who will make you think...
"TRUST ME, JUST MEET THIS GUY"...
If you BRING IT, I am not asking people for a favor to meet with you, I am DOING THEM a favor by introducing you!
BE
THAT
GUY (or GAL)!
BRING IT... SHARE IT!
ENERGY!
That's the best I got...
In harmony,
Nestor