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The Great Job Search Will Fail Forward

The great job search will fail forward. Tomorrow will bring good results after trails, snags, and failures, and that is good. People who are conducting using a wide range of resources, people, and opportunities are not afraid to fail and benefit. Those who are conducting job searches using easy methods fail with no benefits. It’s that simple.

There are “NO” short cuts!
Resilient and steadfast people understand that “no” is part of the road to hearing yes. Job seekers must withstand rejection, smile, and be ready to do it again in an hour. Job seekers will hear “no” several times a day, even during the holidays. They must be ready to endure and work around many obstacles. It is part of the process.

Disappointment such as follow-up calls and email from job seekers asking about their application, resume, or voice mail will hear “no” repeatedly. A persistent job seeker filters through “No!” The same attitude MUST wade through the waters of no replies, unanswered inquiries, and vague answers from administrative assistants. This what makes the job search process scary and daunting–the risk of reject is frequent and unpredictable.

The rejections will lead to “YES,” eventually.
Many of us hate the follow-up call for anything. This is a habit of successful people who are in sales, and who are executives. They become skilled negotiators and influence many because they have entertained “no” constantly throughout their careers. The fruit of rejection is not always a corrupt tree. Think of it as a tree of good fruit as bad fruit will always drop to the ground.

Look at the resume one more time for an error.
Think about your answer to the hard questions one more time.
Stop obsessing over rejection. Start using it to perfect the delivery of goods that only you possess.

Success is the fruit of failure.

People who have little patience to wait, or little tolerance for rejection fail often. They are afraid to try, and fear being told “no.”
People who do not see failure as part of the design for survival. Some very talented, underemployed yet to be job seekers are wasting their talent because they avoid rejection.
The fear of success overcomes many of the responsibility of helping others.

I thought I would include Denzel Washington’s University of Pennsylvania speech to reiterate the ideal of “failing forward.” Hope you enjoy it.

Do you fit into one of these categories? Do you hate hearing “no” or any form of rejection? Do you fear success? Let me know what part of the job seeking process scares you.

About Mark Anthony Dyson

I am the "The Voice of Job Seekers!" I offer compassionate career and job search advice as I hack and re-imagine the job search process. You need to be "the prescription to an employer's job description." You must be solution-oriented and work in positions in companies where you are the remedy. Your job search must be a lifestyle, and your career must be in front of you constantly. You can no longer shed your aspirations at the change seasons. There are strengths you have that need constant use and development. Be sure you sign up to download my E-Book, "421 Modern Job Search Tips 2021!" You can find my career advice and work in media outlets such as Forbes, Inc., Fast Company, Harvard Business Review, Glassdoor, and many other outlets.

by Mark Anthony Dyson

Your Spouse Can Help With The Holiday Job Search

Do you and your spouse attend holiday gatherings held by one another’s friends and families? No? Please, reconsider. This year, see it as an job networking opportunity, and not a waste of time. It is not a time to beg for contacts or a job. Don’t use this time to survey. It is a time to become familiar with a readily available contact pool.

No expectations other than having some productive conversations. Here are my suggestions for having subtle but significant social conversations.

It’s 80-90% about them

People love talking about themselves and their successes (notice I did not say problems). Ask him or her how did they reach this part of their success? Ask them questions related to their training and responsibilities. What makes them tick? Be sure to learn first and last names, and ease up on Mr. Walker, please.

The other 10-20% is barely about you

Again, begging and pleading is a turn-off. However, helping has value that keeps giving beyond the holidays. Yes, see if there are ways to help during a party! Less is more, and when done with caution, you can dictate the terms of engagement. (Hint: If I feel welcomed by the host, and gotten to know them well enough, I volunteer to help with…garbage. Proceed with caution.) Ultimately, you can ask for more information away from the gathering preferably after the holiday.

Your spouse can go to bat for you

If you hit it off with your spouse’s co-worker, then he or she can relieve you of the grunt work. It doesn’t matter if the person will refer you to a different company or the same, co-workers unless adversaries will talk. Talk with your spouse before the party to help him or her understand that you are partying with a purpose. If your spouse is uncomfortable with that, DON’T do it!

These same rules apply to family and other social gatherings. As long as you don’t come across desperate, you can find untapped resources from the people you party with during the holidays. If you are successful in finding someone generous enough to give you names, numbers, and more still follow-up sooner than later by thanking them. A phone call is appropriate, but sending them a thank you gift is too friendly. Remember, subtlety.

I should mention that the holidays are opportunities waiting to happen. It’s slower, and call Human Resources may not be the egg hunt that occurs during non-holidays, particularly after January 1. So use the slow period to your advantage, it is the best time to network.

About Mark Anthony Dyson

by Mark Anthony Dyson

The Dangers of Launching a Non-Competitive Job Search

In 2011, like today, competition for jobs –fierce! If you are not preparing for a competitive job search, then you plan to fail. If you don’t mind being ignored, maligned, or discarded then write, talk, and sound like everyone who wants the same job you do. Just keep using the same strategies, words, and font size on your résumé. Is this your plan to thrive, and arrive?

The Employment Doors Are Cracked Open, Not Wide Open

Employers are savvy in their approach to exclude low-hanging job seeker fruit. It’s not creative, but unqualified candidates are sifted like flour:

1. The unemployed are excluded from opportunities. If you read Catherine Rampell’s article July 26, 2011, outraged is what I felt:

A recent review of job vacancy postings on popular sites like Monster.com, CareerBuilder and Craigslist revealed hundreds that said employers would consider (or at least “strongly prefer”) only people currently employed or just recently laid off.

Rampell, C. (2011, July 26). New York Times.

2. Age and gender discrimination becoming hard to detect or prove.

However, employers are subject to sex and age discrimination laws, which are often implicated when someone is fired for being fat or unattractive. This is the argument being made in the lawsuit filed by the Resorts casino waitresses.

Rabiner, S. (2011, April 6). Findlaw.com

These instances are two of many concerns, depending on the individual’s willingness to compete. That means one must shed light on his or her best attributes to remain competitive.

The Fastest, Biggest, and Strongest is Not The Winner

It is easy to apply to a lot of jobs on Sunday morning in the job section. Well, it used to effective once upon a time because we believed job hunting was a numbers game. Times have changed.

No excuses are acceptable for incorrectly applying to jobs you qualify for or don’t fit. In either case, you’re disqualified. No reason for not researching company culture, or not addressing a cover letter to a person.

Are you the one who claimed to be Internet savvy on your resume? Mmmm…interesting.

Here is an excerpt from an article printed in The Dominion Post the demonstrates this point:

Thorndon Antiques and Collectables owner David Harcourt received 200 applications after advertising for a retail assistant in Wellington, but found that many of them were not really seeking the advertised job.

At least 30 applicants said they wanted to be a teacher or an artist.

“I suggest there are two possible ways for applicants to deal with this problem,” he said in an email to all 200 jobseekers. “One is to hide the fact that you don’t really want the job but are applying only because you have nothing better to do, or because you won’t get the unemployment benefit unless you make such applications.

“However, a far better course, in my view, would be not to apply at all.”

He thanked them all for applying but offered some further tips. He advised them to double-check spelling and grammar, avoid describing themselves as “bubbly” and include details on education.

“Many applicants said little or nothing about their schooling . . . I was rather dismayed at this, so here is some friendly advice from a complete stranger: if you have no or little education, go back to school now.”

One of the 200 applicants, Canadian Amanda Priebe, said she thought the response was outrageous, and she felt insulted at its “disrespectful, arrogant tone”.

Cowlishaw, S. (2011, July 5) Dominion Post

The Bottom Line: If You’re Not Conducting a Competitive Job Search, You Feel Entitled…sort of

I think that this writer wrapped up being competitive at least in interviews up very nicely:

How do you ace a job interview? Here are some tips.

Recognize that when you interview for a job, employers are looking for evidence of four things: your ability to do the job, your motivation, your compatibility with the rest of the organization, and your self-confidence. If you understand how all those things play into an interviewer’s questions (and an employer’s hiring decisions), you’ll have a better chance of getting hired.

Koonce, R. (1997). How to ace a job interview. Training & Development

There are too many other candidates with your qualifications, that possess “strong communications skills,” and has “an excellent track record.” How many of you display a professional Linked In profile? How many job seekers host a local 30-minute show on a college or National Public Radio spot in their city? Which one of you blogs or possess a website that displays knowledge and expertise?

I would say, very few.

You may think of others ways other than the suggestions above, and that’s OK. Just don’t forget that someone wants to finish if not ahead of you, but, instead of you.