Within a couple of months of substitute teaching, I subbed for a first-grade class as a regular teacher for six weeks. Despite what most people experience, it taught me valuable lessons about resources and people and today’s modern job search. By no means, what I’ll be suggesting is scientific. It’s just an observation.
For the first week, I had a mountain of resources thrown at me. I mean, I could have used a different resource for every day of the school year. Yet, I was not offered how to facilitate except through what I could glean through the other first-grade teachers who actually saved me.
In short, the more the kids learned deeply about the few tools, the more engaged they were in my class. If you have ever taught school, you wouldn’t believe how important engagement is to a teacher. It’s everything. I probably broke all of the expectations of what they should have been learning per the curriculum, but my job was easy because I understood the price of getting and keeping the attention of six and seven years old. It expends your energy as much as being a parent with two small kids.
The other revelation was the number of toys, educational gadgets, and stuff in a classroom. It diminishes imagination. The more engaged students only cared about one or two toys. The more distracted students will pull out seven or eight toys to only leave around the room.
I think job seekers succeed with a few tools and resources deeply. Offering a ton of “toys” is distracting and unproductive.
So, the valuable lesson I learned about people…
I get so many requests for help, to answer questions, and suggestions for resources. The job seekers who seem to understand the most about job search and experience use tools and resources they access deeply. The ones who are constantly at work to understand are looking for more tools and resources and lack action. The latter are job seekers who are the kids who pull out seven or eight toys and never use them to their potential.
Results take patience, which you have, but don’t employ.
Start here with tools, resources, tips, strategies you can do more deeply:
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Network deeply
My friend Marc Miller suggests the sweet spot is in the 2nd and 3rd-week tie connections. You deepen your network through introductions of people who know other people. It’s never been easier to ask for email introductions or even to introduce yourself on LinkedIn. Just be tactful and respectful.
2. Research deeply
The job site and the company’s website is limited in gathering information about the company. You find out more about the company in real-time from current employees and even deeper from past employees on the same team. Even during the interview process, continue meeting employees and gain as much insight about the company, interviewer, or names dropped during the interview. If you are approaching your interview process knowing the problem(s) they want you to solve, the more people will help bring insight into how you would solve their problems.
3. Question deeply
The deeper you understand the company’s problems, the more value you can offer the company relevant to them. It’s better to ask questions that stem from two or three questions rather than five or six different questions. Starting with questions that start with “how” and “what” goes further than “why.” “How” and “what” in most cases will provide more intel than “why,” which puts them on the defensive. Of course, there are times to ask “why,” but if you’re gathering information initially, the more information, the better.
You might be able to add more depth to this conversation as you think about the companies and industries you’re interested in, but this will get you started. If you’re frustrated with your job search, you’ll need to creatively dig deeper and maybe wider. More tools may overwhelm you.
About Mark Anthony Dyson
My name is Mark Anthony Dyson, and I am the Founder of The Voice of Job Seekers. I am a career advice writer, but more importantly, I hack and re-imagine the job search process.. I've worked with hundreds of job seekers one-on-one helping them to construct a narrative and strategy that appeals to hiring managers and recruiters. I present at colleges and organizations, and facilitated many workshops including my volunteer effort through a Job Lab. I write and create useful job search content on this blog and write career and workplace advice for blogs such as Glassdoor, Payscale, Job-Hunt.org, Prezi and more. Media Feature highlights: Forbes, Business Insider, NBC News, Glassdoor, LinkedIn's #GetHired, and NPR Freelance writer and content contributor: Glassdoor, Payscale, job-hunt.org, The Financial Diet, RippleMatch.com and more. Contact me to contribute career, job search, or workplace advice for your site at markanthonydyson@gmail.com.
