A Gentle Approach to Landing a Job

Especially in our COVID-eviscerated job market, many job seekers have gotten quite "aggressive," claiming exaggerated, sometimes downright untrue accomplishments and credentials. For example, the most recent HireRight report found, “The percentage of employers who said more than 20% of candidates misrepresent their experience or background has doubled from 10%" in just one year. Even more dispiriting, a Monster.com literature review found “that nearly 50% of candidates embellish, or even lie outright, on their job application.”

Na?ve employers may fall for such shenanigans. But more savvy employers smell a rat, for example, if the person, in the interview, is far more lackluster than conveyed in their resume and cover letter.

Even if you could snooker an employer, I want to make a plea here for a gentle, honest job search. Not only will you sleep better and be able to tell your kids how you job-searched, you’ll more likely be offered a job at which you’ll succeed, and have a boss who expects a normal human being, not a superstar.

What does a gentle job search look like?

The resume—indeed, everything in your job search—is assiduously accurate, including negatives. For example, let’s say that your two-year gap in employment was a combination of vacationing, job-searching, and parenting. Say so. Of course, also tout your strengths but being that rare applicant who fully acknowledges their negatives will gain the employer’s trust. That’s far different from the typical situation in which the employer assumes at least some exaggeration and hiding of the truth.

Just answer ads. Conventional wisdom, including that which I’ve dispensed, is that networking is the most effective way to land a job. That’s true but it’s pushy, a little like sneaking to the front of the line. Apply like everyone else, making your best honest case for being a solid fit for that job, perhaps including a work sample to demonstrate that. That will probably result in your taking longer to land a good job than if you were more salesy, but as mentioned, you’ll probably land a more appropriate job and feel good about how you landed it.

Important: It is of course fine, when applying to a job, to mention that you were referred in by someone who the employer might know or who is respected in the field. That said, I'm less enamored of dropping names of people who don't really know you, for example, someone you dug up using LinkedIn's people-search who is an alumnus/ae of your alma mater who works at that employer.

In interviews, yes, give examples of your accomplishments, perhaps told in brief PAR stories: a challenging Problem you faced, the clever or dogged way you Approached it, and the positive Result. But also acknowledge your weaknesses. If you’re good on a team but poor as a solo worker, say so. If you’re slow and steady rather than a driven go-getter, say so. Employers who want a RoadRunner would be unhappy with you and you with them even if you could do an Academy-Award acting job in the interview and thus bamboozle the employer into offering you a job.

This gentle approach to landing a job is quite different from today’s norm, but if I were looking for a job, that is how I hope I’d do it.

I read this aloud on YouTube.

You can reach career and personal advisor, Marty Nemko, at [email protected]