Somehow, job seekers need to find their voice in saying what you want. Many only tread water in vocalizing his or her career worth.
I am not talking about shy people. Extroverted job seekers often lack expertise and yes even clueless of their career value. Many will say depreciate it, and too little to substantiate his or her holistic worth.
To be clear: put it into words. Rehearsed or not.
Three of many ways job seekers miss opportunities to find a voice in their value:
1. They struggle with saying NO! Enough said.
2. The battle of being an introvert and not conforming to what is expected of you. You are expected to say what you mean.
3. Problem selling yourself convincingly. Yet, expertly the uninformed jobseeker will pontificate about things that have nothing to do with abilities and more toward attempts (“I tried so hard, and got so far, but in the end, it doesn’t even matter”).
Perhaps that is why many of us are unappreciated job seekers—we are not intentional in our quest to understand our individual value. If you can’t express it, you shouldn’t expect it. That’s business in 2013.
The skit below demonstrates exactly what I am talking about as it applies to our worth. We know what we want as the sticker price for our services, but we don’t employ our voices to defend our worth. We are unsure what we can deliver and well versed in what we don’t offer. That must change. Today!
This old Abbott and Costello video demonstrates everything that we all have dealt with:
- We are told that we are “fired” and then we say, “I quit!” One thing Costello correctly does is to starting negotiating the terms of exiting. This is very good strategy. Yet, it goes down from here.
- The only thing he is well versed in his monetary worth and not the worth of his skills. Although we don’t know the complete context of why his is being fired, or if he is actually fired, he never acquiesces to the value of what he has accomplished. Many job seekers rarely examine the worth of his or her skills. Ask yourself, “What would happen you didn’t do your job?” Then start evaluating the value of what you’ve done.
- Abbott says, “Now wait a minute! Not so fast!” This statement starts the counter-argument, and he is right for slowing it down. It actually models what Costello should have done. Slow down. Think. If Costello listened carefully at the beginning he would have created a smoother exit or changed Abbott’s mind.
- It gets worse. Much worse. Abbott and Costello agreed on one dollar a day salary, but Abbott saw this scenario from a 24 hour a day perspective. Costello falls right into the trap of not correcting him basing this on an eight hour workday. Should this be a discussion or a point of contention? Obviously not, but this goes to the point of vocalizing and managing your employer of your value way BEFORE you start a job, not when you are exiting.
You can take it from here and see how badly Abbott dislodges the proverbial ball from Costello. Lawd, this is worse than a Mark Sanchez butt fumble.
What is hard about vocalizing your value? Please share and enjoy the video. I’d like you to share your thoughts.
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.
Editor’s note: Brandhyze Stanley is a frugal expert, and knows how to find high-quality clothes at the best prices you’ll see anywhere. Her guest post offers some advice job seekers whose money is too tight to mention. See her bio at the end of her post and highly recommend spending time at her perusing her frugal fashion advice.