You are the prize: know your worth in a job search

In a recent conversation with a potential client, I couldn’t understand his reluctance to reach out to decision makers and potential employers. This was despite him being highly motivated to move to a better firm. It turned out that he had a strong sense that he didn’t want to go ‘cap in hand’ and ask (or in his mind,' ‘beg’) for help, either from his network contacts or from key people who might want him to join their firm.?

So what’s the mindset that drives this avoidant behaviour and how can we turn it around to maximise chances of job search success?

Moving beyond ‘I don’t have enough to offer’

In my experience, this mindset can be broken down into three misguided beliefs:

1. ‘I don’t have enough to offer’
2. ‘They wouldn’t want to meet me anyway’
3. 'I don’t like to ask for favours when I have nothing to offer in reciprocation’

If you find these thoughts holding you back from approaching potentially useful contacts, there are a few strategies to move beyond this.

Understand your value

As part of our Foundation Coaching programme, we spend a good deal of time understanding the capabilities and experiences that enable them to become a real asset in the marketplace. We list absolutely everything and then create separate and unique statements of value. Each has a specific structure, including compelling examples and stories which bring that value to life. They capture and lead the audience’s imagination.

Realisation: Appreciate your value

During this process, our clients will usually have an awakening. They’ll realise that they can indeed add value - the kind of value that a business doesn’t just want, but really needs. This process leads to a renewed sense of self-confidence and a surge in motivation to get going. The client becomes excited to find a business where they can put their unique value to work, helping move the team and business forward.

Staying associated

Someone who is currently ‘associated’ to everything that change will give them and, equally, all that it’ll cost them if they don’t, will feed a strong desire to take action in the moment. However, being associated with those motivations can and will fade over time. It’s easy for them to lose their potency and power as we become less emotionally connected to them. You become ‘disassociated’.

The solution is to remind yourself daily of what you want and, most importantly, why you want it. Hold onto that feeling back. Read your purpose paragraph and allow yourself to feel frustrated, angry, or whatever emotions you need to get access to the deep pool of emotional energy that you’ve connected to this career issue. This needs to be done on a regular basis to keep on you track.

Remember your worth

It can be easy to lose sight of the fact that you are a valuable asset to the right business. This is especially if you’ve been made redundant. However, you no doubt have tremendous levels of value to offer the right business. The goal is to find a business with needs that match the value that you bring to the table. Equally, the firm has to be one that matches what you want for your next role in terms of culture, brand name, leadership, balance sheet, etc. - whatever your predetermined criteria are.?

This shift in mindset will allow you to be inquisitive, discerning and curious as you search the market for the right team. They’ll be keen to meet you and understand if and how you can help them tackle the business challenges before them.

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In summary, there are countless businesses that are fighting hard to win in one of the most competitive industries in the world. They have all sorts of challenges and they need highly talented, skilled people just like you to help them. Become clear about your unique combination of skills, experience and abilities. Articulate that in a way that your target audience will understand and then search for those operations that really need you now and that fit with what you need at this stage of your career.?

If you’d benefit from a conversation on how to articulate your value and target firms that meet your needs at this stage in your career, let’s talk.