…Optimism Bias

This is the psychological term and condition that causes a person to believe that they are at less of a risk of experiencing a bad outcome than most, and more likely to believe that they are luckier than most to have a positive outcome. This bias shows up in all kinds of issues. For instance, most smokers believe they are a lot less likely to get cancer from smoking than other smokers. The vast majority of drivers think that they are in the top 20% of quality drivers. Most people think they're less likely to be crime victims than they really are.

This is relevant to job seekers because 90% of the job seekers I have interviewed since 1973...over 26,000 of them...and 60% of them were employed...all thought it was gonna be a lot easier to find a job than it was and is... and all began their job search thinking and saying, "This is gonna be easy...never had a problem before...everyone needs a great employee like me...look at all of the promotions I have had...look how great my track record has been...my neighbor (cousin, brother, etc.) got a job real easily, and he is a jerk, so this will be easy..." then they often follow it up with, "...so I took a few weeks...months...off  'cause I hadn't had a real vacation in a while..."

Then they start looking for a job or doing some minor efforts toward that and find out that the market is very difficult, more difficult than they even imagined. Reality sets in and they realized that they should have started a full-court press in looking for a job two or three months earlier.

Another form of this optimism bias has to do with people's attitude towards interviewing. I hear  this a number of times every week, "Tony, just get me in front of them, I'll nail the interview... I'm really good at it." Anytime a candidate tells me that, I'm worried. Interviewing is a difficult thing to do. Very few people do it well naturally without a lot of practice. After a few big time rejections, humility and reality normally set in.

Optimism bias in the job search can manifest itself in many other ways and all of them are treacherous to the job seeker. The best way to avoid optimism bias is to approach looking for a job with absolutely no expectations, a slight bit of paranoia and the realization that it is going to be hard and the job seeker has to start working at their job search immediately. I've seen six recessions come and go and I assure you the job market is never quite the same every time. A job seeker can't confuse the last time he or she changed jobs with today's market.

Rather than being "optimistic," I suggest a job seeker should be "hopeful" and then work like hell by working a systematic process like I teach.

ABOUT TONY BESHARA

Owner & President

Babich & Associates

Tony Beshara is the owner and president of Babich & Associates, established in 1952 and the oldest placement and recruitment service in Texas. It is consistently one of the top contingency placement firms in the DFW area, and has been recognized as one of the “Best Places to Work in DFW” by the Dallas Business Journal. He has been a professional recruiter since 1973 and has personally found jobs for more than 10,500 individuals. He sits behind a desk every day, working the phone literally seven hours of the twelve hours a day, making close to 200 calls a day. He is in the trenches on a day-to-day basis. Tony has personally interviewed more than 26,000 people on all professional levels and has worked with more than 23,000 hiring authorities. Babich & Associates has helped more than 100,000 people find jobs using Tony’s process. Tony is one of the most successful placement and recruitment professionals in the United States. 

Tony received his Ph.D. in Higher Education from St. Louis University in 1973. 

The second edition of his best-selling book, “The Job Search Solution” The Ultimate System for Finding a Great job NOW!”  came out in January of 2012. He also created a 45 hour online program about how to find a job, www.The Job Search Solution.com. Tony’s second best seller, “ACING  The Interview”, answers almost any question regarding interviewing in today’s erratic job market. “Unbeatable Resumes,” discusses resumes for the present, unique employment market. His latest book for job seekers, “Powerful Phrases for Successful Interviews,” published in February of 2014, offers 400 ideal phases for every interviewing situation. His newest book, co-authored with Rich Lavinski, the managing partner of E. 57th Street Partners, “100,000 Successful Hires, The Art, Science and Luck of Successful Hiring” is about the “other side” of the desk… advice for the hiring authority. It, too, is a bestseller.

Tony recent TED Talk, “The 10 Principles of Loving Your Career and Your Job” was presented in October of 2015 at Mountain View College in Dallas. It can be viewed in its entirety on Tony’s YouTube channel.

 He is a frequent guest on the Dr. Phil Show, offering Dr. Phil’s guests advice on the job search process. He is also a frequent guest/expert on various local and nationally televised business shows, including those on Fox Business News. Tony also hosts a daily radio show, The Job Search Solution on KEXB, 620 AM, every Monday thru Friday from 8:00pm to 8:30pm. Tony and his beautiful wife of 48 years, Chris, have four grown sons. 

Interviews & Appearances Contact:

Tony Beshara

Phone: 214-823-9999

Email: [email protected]