3 factors that will motivate you in your job search

For some of you reading this, the bad news is that you’re in the job search, but the good news is that you are in complete control of finding your next job.

In Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us by Daniel Pink—he writes about how science and the business operation paradigm are out of sync. Jobseekers can learn how to better conduct their job search by embracing Pink’s theories. (See his Youtube.com speech here.)

Pink asserts that most people are motivated by intrinsic values, which he calls Motivation 3.0. More specifically, we’re driven by autonomy, mastery, and purpose. The predecessor to Motivation 3.0 is Motivation 2.0, which assumes we’re driven by extrinsic values, e.g., money, rewards, and reprimand—the carrot and stick theory. And before that was Motivation 1.0, which satisfies our basic needs.

Unfortunately, many companies have not graduated to Motivation 3.0 and are stuck in Motivation 2.0, perhaps because management doesn't trust their employees to act alone, doesn’t encourage them to challenge themselves, and doesn't encourage them to see the purpose of their actions.

Autonomy: the urge to direct our own lives. Pink gives Google as an example of providing autonomy as a motivator, where employees are given 20% of their time to work on whatever they want. This, as a result, promotes creativity; and creativity often leads to better ideas and better products.

Mastery: the desire to get better at something that matters. The idea is to challenge yourself to be better and willing to accept failure. Some believe we never learn without failing. Given the chance to correct our mistake/s, we eventually master our given tasks. 

Purpose: The yearning to do what we do at the service of something that is better than ourselves. What is your purpose in life? Is it to do what is simply required and receive an adequate performance review, or is your purpose to accomplish goals that grow you as an individual and, as a result, make the company better?

How motivation plays a role in our job search.

In my mind our motivation to get back to work comes from within. Certainly earning a paycheck is an extrinsic motivator; we need money to pay our bills, but what really motivates us is regaining our sense of identity and the daily routine we've grown accustomed to. Given that we are ultimately internally motivated, we need to take action and conduct a proper job search. Here are the steps you need to take:

Autonomy: I ask my jobseekers who is rewarding or reprimanding them for working hard and smart in their job search. Similarly, who is standing over them to make sure they network, engage on LinkedIn, and write compelling résumés and cover letters? The answer is no one.

They have complete autonomy in their job search—they’re in complete control of their actions. Further, jobseekers can conduct their job search however they see fit. There are rules—documents must be submitted before a deadline, for instance—but breaking some rules won't lead to reprisal or being fired.

Mastery: Jobseekers must master the job search in order to be successful. Some haven’t written a résumé or been on an interview in 10, 20, even 30 years. There will be a lot of attempts and failures along the way. Many résumés will be rejected because they’re poorly written and don’t talk to the needs of each employer; many interviews won’t go well.

But jobseekers must not lose their resolve—when they master the process, results will start pouring in. Many people I talk with after they've landed a job say it was because of not how hard they looked, but how smart they looked. They mastered the job search.

Purpose: Without purpose, the other two elements of Motivation 3.0 are a moot point. When I ask jobseekers what their purpose is, some will say getting a job; but this is not enough. Their purpose should be getting a job they find rewarding; a job that meets their values; a job that offers them autonomy, mastery, and...purpose.

Purpose closes the loop. To those who simply say they'll do anything, I tell them to think harder about what they really want to do. Just any job will not satisfy the jobseeker's purpose; he must pursue a job that provides purpose.

Not all jobseekers will employ motivation 3.0. Instead they will go through their job search blindly and take whatever comes their way. Ultimately they will be unhappy and, thus, unproductive. The obvious way to look for work is to take ownership of the job search and embrace the three factors of motivation.

Bob McIntosh, CPRW, is a career trainer who leads more than 17 job search workshops at an urban career center, as well as critiques LinkedIn profiles and conducts mock interviews. Jobseekers and staff look to him for advice on the job search. In addition, Bob has gained a reputation as a LinkedIn authority in the community. Bob’s greatest pleasure is helping people find rewarding careers in a competitive job market. For enjoyment, he blogs at Things Career Related. Follow Bob on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/bob_mcintosh_1; connect with him on LinkedIn,https://www.dhirubhai.net/in/bobmcintosh; read his blog, https://www.thingscareerrelated.com

Photo: Flickr, Warren Scott, Safi: Creative Web and Graphic Designer