You're Amazing. Does Anyone Know?

Are you looking for a job? I know a few people who have been searching for some time without luck.

I spoke with two of them recently. The first had decades of corporate experience. The second was a little earlier in his career journey with a few years under his belt. Both had advanced degrees and stellar qualifications.

Their problems were identical. They were applying for jobs but struggling to land interviews. They felt like their efforts were going into a black hole.

As I dug in, I found some issues. The first issue was their approach. They were primarily looking for jobs online and applying for the ones that seemed interesting. This put them into a pool with hundreds of other applicants. What was the probability that they would get noticed?

Another issue was the way they were presenting themselves. Their resumes read like a list of activities without a clear connection to business outcomes. They were leaving it up to the hiring manager to deduce what value they brought and how they impacted the bottom line. Was it wise for them to outsource their narrative in this way?

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, they were not leveraging their network. I asked them if they had reached out to any of their professional connections. They said they had made some calls, but no one seemed to have any job openings. They had pretty much given up after that.

I could sense that these people were frustrated. They were smart, had strong skills, and solid track records of success. So why were they having to work so hard to find a job? Why were people not knocking down their doors with offers?

Let's try an analogy.

Do you like potatoes? I love them. In French fries, in tater tots, in curries, you name it. And so does the rest of the world. Potatoes are the fourth largest crop after corn, wheat, and rice. But did you know that they were not available outside South America till the 16th century? Only after they were discovered by explorers and brought back to Europe did the rest of the world find out about them. And before long, these low cost, versatile vegetables found their way into every culture and cuisine across the globe.

The above story of the potato is revealing. It shows that no matter how good something is, if it does not have distribution, it will not be successful. The same applies to a job search. No matter how amazing you are, if hiring managers don't know about you, they cannot possibly offer you a job.

Now let's talk about another type of food: caviar. Have you tried it? I have not. It is an exotic food that is only available in limited quantities and enjoyed by a niche clientele. Not everyone wants it. Not everyone likes it. But the ones who like it are willing to pay huge amounts of money for it. The people who sell caviar work hard to find these clients and then spend a lot of effort in marketing the product to them.

The above story of caviar is revealing as well. It tells us that when you are dealing with a high value item enjoyed by a niche audience, just knowing that it exists is not enough. To make it successful, you also need market it, in a targeted manner.

When we start our careers, we are like potatoes. We don't cost much, we are willing to try anything, and can fit into almost any organization. After working for a few years, we begin to resemble caviar. We have specialized expertise, our clientele is more niche, and we command a higher value. At this stage, we cannot just rely on distribution. We must find the specific people who may have an interest in working with us and actively promote and sell ourselves to them.

Look, hiring managers are busy. They have a lot on their plate. They do not want to look through hundreds of resumes to find the ideal candidate. So, they outsource the process to an associate who usually does not have a clue about what the job entails. Or worse, to an AI engine that tries to match resumes with approved keywords. Good luck getting through!

A better way is to circumvent the entire process and approach the hiring manager directly. There are two ways can you do this – via warm intros or via organic discovery.

Let’s start with the warm intro. I just mentioned that hiring managers hate to sift through piles of faceless resumes. If only someone they knew could recommend a good candidate?

BINGO. That's your path to them.

A good way to get to the top of the resume pile is to get referred to the hiring manager by their friend or colleague. This type of “warm intro” gets treated very differently because the person making the referral is putting their social reputation on the line.

How can you get warm intros? By leveraging your network. But didn’t we just say that all the people in your network had already told you that they had nothing to offer? Yes, but what about the people in their network, and the people in their networks, and so on?

With tools like LinkedIn, it is now quite easy to discover who in your network knows someone at a target company. Find these people and ask if they can make an intro. You don’t need to get introduced to the hiring manager. You just need to speak with someone who can help you find your way to the hiring manager.

The next step is to spread the word that you're in the market. Don’t just talk with people in your professional network. Talk with your friends. Talk with your neighbors. Talk with the parents at your children’s games. You never know who knows who. I still remember when one of my neighbors told me he could not fully comprehend what I did for a living but their brother-in-law did something similar and might be a good person to speak with.

Last, and perhaps most important, don’t go into these conversations asking for a job. Instead, go with the desire to make a new connection. Tell people what you are trying to do and ask for their advice. Do a really great job of presenting your past achievements. Help them visualize what you are capable of. You will be amazed at how helpful people are when you adopt this approach and build an actual relationship. Even if they do not have something to offer, they will hook you up with a couple more people to speak with. And with every conversation, you will increase the odds of getting a warm intro to someone who could hire you.

OK, that was the warm intro, where your network helps you find a hiring manager. Now let’s talk about organic discovery, where you help the hiring manager find you.

To be discovered organically, you must do things that make people want to engage with you. Today, there are so many ways to put yourself out there. You can speak at a conference or trade meeting. Many of these are now online and can be attended remotely. You can host a podcast or be a guest on one. You can write a blog, distribute a weekly newsletter, or post videos on YouTube. As you build your brand and reputation, people will notice and start reaching out to you.

I know more than one person who landed a job or some other type of professional opportunity this way. It is probably the best way to get hired. The people approaching you must work hard to gain your interest. And this puts you in a strong negotiating position.

Look, I am not saying that doing all this is easy. Putting yourself out there can feel intimidating. It requires self-confidence and a willingness to be vulnerable. But if you’ve hit a dead end, perhaps it is time to try something different?

No one is coming to save you.

We live in a time when every company is busy cutting jobs. They are only hiring for what they consider “critical” positions. If you want to land one of those jobs, you must maximize the probability of being noticed by the people who may want to hire you.

Get out there. Make some noise. The rest will happen.

#careers #personaldevelopment #takecontrol #poweredfrominside