The Job Search: It’s Not About You
It’s not about you.
There, I said it.
The job search is not about you.
The prep work, that’s all about you. The soul searching, research, deciding on a career path - you, you, you.
But once you start the effort of looking, it’s not about you anymore. It’s about them.
It’s not about how you can grow and learn in the position. It’s about how you can infuse new ideas and motivate the team to be better.
It’s not about how you are bored at your current job and you want a challenge. It’s about how you can improve client relationships or existing processes.
It’s not about how you want better work/life balance. It’s about how you’ll improve their bottom line.
Yes, this is a big broad brush statement, but once you make this mindset shift, then you’re able to be a competitive candidate in what already is and will continue to be a very competitive job market.
Here’s 3 quick & impactful ways to shift your message:
Your professional persona - Look at your LinkedIn profile, your resume, and any other external facing elements of you and ask if it answers how you would help a future employer.
Your outreach & asks - When you contact someone for an informational interview or write a cover letter, is it focused on what you want or how you will benefit them?
Your Resume - Does it read like a to-do list or a “highlight reel” AKA your main achievements in each position that demonstrate what you’ll bring to your future employer
