Start with Why

I have spent the last decade in workforce planning and talent management across several industries. After placing thousands of people and working with hundreds of clients, from small firms to Fortune 500 companies, I wanted to bring all those insights into a weekly newsletter to help companies and individuals.?

The workforce continues to change rapidly. The people who look to stay at the forefront of those changes will create the best opportunities for themselves and their companies.?

Unfortunately, from my experience, many have not adapted to these changes and continue to use the same practices from past decades. Technology has been a blessing and a curse. It has given more exposure and led people to lessen the critical human touch.

As we move into the future, my passion is rooted in disrupting this industry by creating an environment that leverages technology, adapts to an agile workforce but always remembers the importance of a personal touch to build lasting relationships.?

Finding your next career

For many reasons, it is easy to get lost in finding your next role. Some people I have spoken with have not had to look for a new position for several years. Others have always been poached, so they never had to engage in the process of finding a new position. There are passive job seekers who would only move for something absolutely perfect and are worried about their company finding out they are looking. Lastly, there are people in the most stressful situation who lose their jobs unexpectedly and need to get back to work quickly.?

In today’s job market, there are no limits to the number of career sites, tools and services available. The information overload has led this industry to have a lot of redundancies, dependency on technology, and a ton of frustrated job seekers not knowing where to start.?

My focus on walking people through each step of the process of finding their next great career. Additionally, it will give insights into the best tools, techniques and services available to ensure that you land the role you want.

Start with Why

Below is a short clip that is great for business, but it can also be changed to apply to a person. This methodology helps you stand out and also ensures that the organization is the right fit for you. The key is to start with “why” and work your way out to the “what.” I will use myself as an example, as I used this technique when I was looking for my next opportunity.

Simon Sinek

Why: I have a passion for entrepreneurship and a love for business. I believe that the current industry I work in is broken. My purpose is to disrupt it and give a better experience to people I have an opportunity to impact.?

How: I am obsessed with growth, personal development and take pride in leading by example. I have differentiated myself through my work ethic, finding innovative solutions, facing challenges and building things from the ground up.?

What: I want to help accelerate the growth within an organization, which has been shown by my past performance, business acumen, leadership and that is why you should hire me.?

You'll need to truly understand your why so that you can explain it to people looking to hire you or help you with your career search. Additionally, it is vital to be able to communicate what you are looking for from an overall compensation standpoint. I will not dig into that as there is lots of info out there on that part.

Most people use the interview process to find out this aspect rather than starting here. That can be inefficient and you can miss out on opportunities. If you first slow down to understand your why,? it will speed everything else up afterward. I hope this article helps and look forward to the next part - “Sales approach to landing your job.”