I remember when I was 16 my dad wanted me to have a steady job. When I went out looking for the job, the advice he gave me was as succinct as it was useless. He said, “just be yourself.” Myself wanted to sit at home and play StarCraft, waiting for a job to come to me.
Six years later, I want a job again. It feels almost necessary to survive, but I’m not too worried about when I get one because I’m good with money and I’ve had lots of jobs before. My resume is pretty sick. My wallet is still fairly full. But now I want a job that I enjoy and can keep for the next 6 months; one that will further my personal goals for the future.
So, here’s what I do:
- I notice that, for the job I want, I need a better portfolio. I work on that a bit.
- I rewrite my resume. I use specific advice from employment specialists to make it better targeted and more demonstrative of my abilities. I make the whole thing look good, slightly edgy, but professional.
- I’m not done yet. I do some research on companies that I’d be interested in working for. What, in the thin slice, are my potential employers looking for? What would be the best first words out of my mouth?
- Now I get in touch with those companies – all of them. My father used to tell me that you miss one hundred percent of the shots you don’t take – those are the big companies like Apple or IBM. Then there are the smaller companies I wouldn’t have dreamed of applying to, like that place I worked for twice minimum wage as the lead marketing writer for about a year. I was 18. And yes, I made a lot of money for myself and for that company. What does that mean? I apply everywhere because I have no idea what might happen.
- When I’m talking to the companies, I don’t use the regular method of throwing them my resume and calling them again later. I talk to both the hiring manager and the product leader – anyone who has a say in the matter. I’m aware that if I have one conversation with the product leader, who no one else talks to, then in their weekly meeting my name will come up first. I don’t worry about whether my extra effort is “fair” or not to the other applicants; I’m not and never have been a charity worker.
- If I don’t get the job, I’m not too worried – these things happen. But since I’ve applied at every job I want – and there are a lot – I get a job. If it’s not the job for me, I leave and take up one of the other offers. Since I always go into a job to further my personal goals, every job I work makes me a better person. The next job is just that much easier.
Employment specialists advocate this kind of streamlined job hunt that improves your life and ensures that you achieve what you want, while actually bringing the required skills to the table and greatly benefiting the job and the job market. If you asked the same employment specialists how to improve your love life, they would tell you to “just be yourself.”
If you ask your father, he’ll tell you to “just be yourself.”
If you ask your friends, they’ll tell you to “just be yourself.”
If you ask me, I’ll give you solid advice that will improve your chances at achieving happiness in love. Give me a brief synopsis of your problem and I’ll give you a brief answer and a push in the right direction.