Are We All Just Instruments Or Obstacles?

Perhaps it was the pandemic that caused us all to hide in our caves and isolate, but it seems to me that we have to work harder to rediscover our common humanity.? All too often I see people viewing others as either instruments to be used to obtain some benefit, or as obstacles to achieving it.

This behavior relegates people to the status of objects.

And this degrades our humanity.

Of course, single-minded focus on your own priorities has its place. But when changing careers, recognizing that other people have their own interests and objectives can actually accelerate your job search.

When changing careers, recognizing that others have their own interests and objectives can actually accelerate your job search.

First, some background. In the last few weeks 22 of our clients landed executive positions—mostly through the unpublished market. (Jobs in the unpublished market are opportunities so new they had not even been published yet).? In the three macro-geographic markets we typically focus on more than 500,000 executives changed jobs in the last year.? That is an enormous amount of opportunity. But only about 25% of it was visible via recruiters and the published market.? The remainder was recruited informally via the unpublished market.

How can you find an opportunity that is invisible?

There are several points of entry into the unpublished market—an expertise The Barrett Group (TBG) shares with clients from our more than 30 years of experience.??

Here are a few examples from clients who applied these secrets successfully:

Alan’s efforts resulted in two excellent job opportunities. One came about through the unpublished market. He learned about a growing company on social media that interested him and discovered that a buddy of his worked there. His buddy referred him to the CEO and Alan quickly got an interview. [Alan – Regional Sales Director. Read more.]

“It was very helpful to me to put the focus of networking on helping others. In the past, I held back on contacting people if I needed something because I felt awkward asking for help.? But TBG emphasizes that the objective is to ask how people are doing and offer to help however you can. That lowered the barrier for me. It became much easier to connect with people – even when I needed something – which was really helpful in my job search.” [Maite – Senior Manager. Read more.]

“I have never leveraged my network to the depth I did with The Barrett Group. I got more and more interviews and great ideas from my contacts.”

“People were so responsive! I spoke to people every day for months. We talked about how they were doing and how the industry is doing. Everyone was so supportive, giving me advice about transitioning and putting me in touch with others to speak to. People helped me more than I could have asked for – it was like having a team.” [Maite – Senior Manager. Read more.]

“Four years ago when I was job hunting, I wouldn’t talk to anyone I hadn’t already been in touch with during the previous five years. This time, however, [TBG] had me talking to people that I hadn’t spoken to for nearly 10 years! I had never leveraged my network to the depth I did with The Barrett Group. I got more and more interviews and great ideas from my contacts about what to do career-wise.”??[Michael – Senior Director]

You see, “paying it forward” (taking others’ interests and objectives actively into account) is absolutely key to making progress in the unpublished market.? Far from calling up friends and asking for a job, TBG’s clients learn techniques that open doors by opening hearts.

I couldn’t have dreamt this opportunity in my wildest dreams. Every aspect of what I identified as my dream job has been met in this role!”

Genuinely creating a sense of shared humanity is the foot in the door, so to speak.

And, of course, strategy plays a role, too.? For example, when a client identifies a company of interest, we help map an entry route by reverse-engineering the client’s social capital to find and connect with someone who knows key people at the target employer and can introduce the client as a trusted candidate—whether there is an opening or not.?

This works because very often executives are wrestling quietly with gaps in their organizations, business opportunities they have no resources to grasp, or people they need to replace.? Many of these quiet challenges remain undisclosed until the right person comes along—the solution to that executive’s conundrum.? And when the right person does come along, voilà! The hiring executive can often create a new position for which no pre-existing role or compensation package was defined.? This means the candidate has enormous influence over the job contents and compensation (which TBG typically improves still further during the offer negotiation phase)—as well as little or no competition.

So the next time you think about how to influence someone to offer you a job, consider instead how you may be able to help that person first.? Think about paying it forward.? Alternatively, if you are still unsure about how best to achieve this, hire The Barrett Group for results confirmed by Forbes now for five years running.

Perhaps you too will be able to look back and say, “It is so amazing how everything just came together! I couldn’t have dreamt this opportunity in my wildest dreams. Every aspect of what I identified as my dream job has been met in this role!”? [Jocelyne Moussavou – VP, Read more.]

What are you waiting for?? Give us a call!

Peter Irish, Chairman

The Barrett Group