5 Skills To Develop by Looking For a Job
For most people job interviews are only about getting the job, hence they usually don't appreciate the job application process itself, which has a lot to offer whether you were successful or not.
I am a big believer in positive thinking and there's nothing better than persuading yourself that your failures were meant to happen to prepare you for something great that is to come. So even if you don't get the job, here are 5 things interviews will help you with:
1. Getting aware of own limits
Toxic environments are often filled with pride and ego. But the best people who truly care are the ones who know how to step back when it adds value, how to admit mistakes and know how to say "sorry", "correct me if I'm wrong", "you were right" instead of trying hard to win every single debate.
They say that practice makes perfect, but to me, practice often creates just an illusion of perfection. If you are doing something for a long time, you have simply established your comfort zone, in which you have mastered what you are doing. A new job, however, will push the boundaries of this comfort zone further, showing you how weak you can perform in an unknown world. You will want to learn more, become better, and if you are lucky enough, trying to become better will become a habit.
2. Learning how to sell yourself
People are often looked at as mere numbers, resources, units that produce some results. And it's sad to see some companies occasionally doing mass hiring on a tight deadline. People are far more sophisticated than that, they need to be understood, guided, motivated, it takes an enormous amount of effort to build and grow the solid team.
Imagine yourself coming home from an interview, still replaying the conversations in your head, thinking about the silly mistakes you made, things you shouldn't have said, things you knew how to answer but under pressure somehow didn't manage to do so. Those mistakes are essential in learning how to present yourself, how to describe your past experiences, how much you have learned and how valuable you proved to be. Presenting yourself is but another skill you need to practice, till hopefully one day, people will get to see your real worth.
3. Improving your negotiation skills
Knowing how to sell is one thing, but negotiating the price and terms is a whole new story. They say never talk price, talk value. You've read the JD, you've done your research about the company, the team, the role, the similar openings in the market, you know what are the things you can help with, improve, the value you can create. Make sure that people who interview you see that value as well. Know your worth, and if the company still doesn't see the value in you, then perhaps it's not the one you should join.
4. Questioning your life goals and priorities
Even if you are not asked the typical "where do you see yourself in 5 or 10 years", at some point, you will get to think about your life, questioning your priorities, core values, and how the job you're applying for fits the picture.
There's this simple exercise for determining how people should spend their lives. Try to come up with 3 lists of keywords: 1. things you value and enjoy the most (core values, passion), 2. things that you are recognized for and others appreciate you for (talent), and 3. things that earned you money or helped you succeed in the past (experience, potential). Whatever those 3 lists have in common should leat towards the right path.
5. Learning how to explain complicated things in a simple way
Dealing with people with different background will make you realize that the more complicated is the stuff that you are working with, the more important is your ability to explain it in a simple way. Having a hard time explaining things you get to work with every day is but another indicator showing how much you still have to learn.
Sometimes, however absurd it may sound, a couple of failed job applications can be more valuable than the actual work experience.