Job hunting is connecting

When looking for a job, think of all that YOU want -and don't want- to offer. You may be surprised.

Before you protest that it’s a (job) seller’s market and you‘ve just got to take what’s out there, hear me out.

Think of the homeless people in the street who have a sign out: “looking for work.” I’ve rarely seen anyone stop, or been motivated to engage in a work conversation with them. But if they add “can do house painting, dog walking, lawn mowing,” I might ask if they also can do some similar task.

Knowing what you want is power, autonomy, clarity. It’s not limiting ; you let the other person know who you are by your boundaries.

Have you ever heard an employer say “I’ve got a job going, who wants one?”

 But they might say “I have a job THAT NEEDS DOING”. To an employer, a job equates with tasks to do and roles to fill. So they're thinking “I’m looking for someone to DO CERTAIN TASKS “or “I’m looking for someone to FILL A SPECIFIC ROLE.” They then might formulate that need into a job description for potential candidates to try to fit into. Sort of like Cinderella and the glass slipper.

The Cambridge Dictionary defines WORK as: “An activity, such as a job, that a person uses physical or mental effort to do, usually for money.”

And a JOB as : “The regular work that a person does to earn money”.

The Business Dictionary adds:

"From a wider perspective, a JOB is synonymous with a role and includes the physical and social aspects of a work environment. Often, individuals identify themselves with their job or role (foreman, supervisor, engineer, etc.) and derive motivation from its uniqueness or usefulness."

So while the potential employee is looking for financial security (a paycheck) and social identity, the employer is looking to have a role filled and tasks done. Not quite the same thing. The word "job", and job description, are just the meeting point.

But people often come to take that social identity so far that they think the job title a fixed part of themselves and that they cannot change what they do. Language says it all “I AM an executive. ” So if they lose or leave their job, they can feel they are losing their identity.

But you as a person are larger than your job, and you are constantly evolving. You very likely have a whole set of skills, talents, and interests that you have not optimized in your day job, but that you would be glad to do more with in a different context.

To get what you want, consider what they want and where the two may meet.

To make your search for gainful work more efficient and rewarding, make it easier for the employer by translating your search into employer-thinking. What do THEY need to reach their goals? What do they want to DO? And how can you, as a whole person, help them?

When you are attracted by a job ad, look closely at just what attracted you in that ad, and reword your own track record- inside and out of your main job titles and descriptions- to show how you can best make it fit.

Rather than what you want to BE, look at what you want to DO. How badly do you want to do it? What makes you think you might be able to? Have you ever done anything like it, professionally or not?

And ask yourself

·     What TASKS do I want to and feel able to do?

·     What ROLES am I prepared to fill?

And if you are not sure about what you can or want to offer, partner with a friend, get a book or work with a coach to help define your offer, and you may find yourself in a better, more fulfilling place.

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