How to Apply the 80/20 Rule to Your Job Hunt Successfully
Michael Kaiser
I help executives and specialists get their dream job with a new employer abroad
I'm sure you've heard of the 80/20 rule (also known as the Pareto principle) stating that 80% of problems or effects come from 20% of causes for a particular event, as the Cambridge Business English Dictionary defines it.
It's a tempting thought to also follow this rule when looking for a job as it implies the possibility of getting a great new job quickly without a lot of work. However, as many unsuccessful job seekers across the world can tell, even a maximum of effort (in this context being 100%) doesn't guarantee to get a job within the anticipated timeframe at all. Doing less doesn't seem to be a good idea in such a situation.
In this article, I explain how your job search can indeed profit a lot from using the 80/20 rule if you apply it to all your activities in the right way.
The often-forgotten underlying assumption for the validity of this rule
Being a perfectionist, I have to remind myself of the power of this principle constantly. It can significantly ease up one's anticipated workload without bearing the risk of not achieving the wanted goals.
However, there can be a catch to applying it if one important foundation for its use is not given. The principle is based on the assumption that the first 20% of measures taken target all critical aspects and the remaining 80% of further efforts will still add value continuously but with decreasing efficiency.
If, however, the first 20% are not allocated so wisely, stopping at that stage bears the risk of not achieving the main goal at all. In such a case, doing more, although less efficiently, can save the project by fixing an important open issue later without one being much aware of it.
In other words, the 80/20 rule can only be applied successfully after all crucial subgoals and their correct order have been identified. Ignorance about that condition often causes job hunts to drag on for too long a time. At worst, even a tremendous amount of effort leads to no result because of a completely wrong allocation of it.
What that means for your job hunt
Before you can make your job hunt more efficient by saving 80% of the time others typically spend on theirs, you need to understand where you must invest the 20% of time crucial for success.
The common but wrong allocation of time
Let me help you to better understand the right way by explaining the wrong one first. Most job seekers do not invest time in a proper definition of the focus for their job search at all. Nor do they spend the time it takes to create a truly convincing CV / résumé. Nor do they spend much time collecting the data necessary to write intriguing cover letters.
Then they get busy wasting a tremendous amount of time applying for vacancy after vacancy, month after month, without success.
In other words, they save relatively little time in the beginning for which they pay a high price later.
The right way to apply the 80/20 rule to your job hunt
In order to save 80% of the time that may not really be needed to get the great new job you want, you need to know exactly where to invest the important 20% of your time. The latter should go into:
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1) Defining a focus for your job search at the very beginning: This is the only way to avoid applying for openings you are suitable for but have no chance of getting anyway. Read this article to learn how to do this.
2) Creating a list of the major accomplishments of your previous jobs as the next step: Without that intermediate step, it would take much longer to create a convincing CV / résumé. Read this article to learn how to do this.
3) Creating a convincing CV / résumé: The better this document, the more invitations for job interviews you can expect. Read this article to learn how to do this.
4) Focusing on networking: This allows you to discover the many "hidden" vacancies and thus avoid the competition you face when applying for jobs listed on well-known job portals. Read this article to learn how to do this.
5) Writing meaningful cover letters: Use your cover letters to explain why your professional background is the perfect match for the positions you're applying for. Read this article to learn how to do this.
And that's it. It's easy and very efficient. You'll have applied the 80/20 rule to your job hunt successfully. I wish you the best of luck with it!
Would you like me to help you with that in person?
No problem, because that is what I as a professional career coach do all the time. Of course, my work is not for free but the great results you can achieve with it will be well worth the investment.
Send your job search and applications on the road to success
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I help executives and specialists get their dream job with a new employer abroad
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