The Voice of Job Seekers

Mark Anthony Dyson ★ Career Writer ★ Speaker ★ Thinker ★ Award-winning Blog & Podcast! ★ "The Job Scam Report" on Substack! ★ I hack and reimagine the modern job search!

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Here are a Couple of Career Lessons to Learn from Kevin Durant

Here are a Couple of Career Lessons to Learn from Kevin Durant
For those of us who nearly obsessed with Kevin Durant’s move to the Golden State Warriors, we forgot there were a team of champions before Durant arrived. Many of us basketball fans were engaged the entire year with what was going on at Golden State. There was so much intrigue with Kevin Durant making an audacious move to the Golden State Warriors from a relatively good team, the OKC Thunder. It was expected the Warriors would win. And last night they did.
There was so much drama during the year.
First, the story line of the Warriors losing last year’s final after being up 3-1. It was thematic because no team had lost in the finals. Clarity and history collide here: NBA finals, not conference finals. Kevin Durant, one of the best players in the league, has a chance to play with the team with the best record with the only expectation to be the best team.
One high profile sports analyst stated throughout the year it was the weakest move by a superstar he’s ever seen.
Second, the slow start.
Third, the injury to Durant’s ankle.
This analyst defended his position all year. His comment didn’t matter how loud it was, it didn’t matter much to the people involved.

I always asked myself what is a career weak move. I thought about these scenarios:

 Dan Price took a pay cut to give his employees a huge raise a few years back. A CEO who takes a huge pay cut for anything today must be a weak career move, right?

 

Sara Peavy left a Fortune 100 company “to go where the wind takes her” or yet a small start-up company. Surely, happiness is NOT really a valuable commodity.

via GIPHY

Mohamed El-Erian says the reason he left a trillion-dollar company as CEO after his 10 year old daughter gave him 22 events in her life he missed. He called it a “wake up call.” Others may have called it something else.

via GIPHY

The ESPN analyst said he joined a team that beat him instead of carrying his original team to a finals victory. His description of what he thought was a “weak move” was announced to the world. Yet, it said so little about what mattered because Kevin Durant is now a champion.

The career lesson is so valuable here is for us to envision what our journey should look like in the end.

What is the main career lesson for us today? The goals of you and your teammates and the price you want to pay or play for it.
But you should know your teammates, right? Finding out who you want to play for and play with is significant. Maybe more than who is paying you, right? Consider how well Kevin Durant played for the coach and with other players. For us, it would be for our direct boss and with teammates.
Yes. Research the team. The boss. The company.
How well do we digest the role we will play is different? You won’t know until you research the company, the boss, AND the team because of all it matters. What if your prospective team reached out to you? The Warriors’ players reached out to Kevin Durant as some media sites reported in 2016 before Durant joined the team.
I wonder.
What is insignificant–the others who haven’t tried walking in your shoes and your short falls, mistakes, failures mean nothing if you fit with your potential new team.
How complete would your research be if you played against your prospective team?

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.

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Job Search in 2017 is Marketing, PR, and Schmoozing

Job Search in 2017 is Marketing, PR, and Schmoozing

 

There is a case for running your job search like a political campaign. There is a lot of communication to clarify your position, show the relevance of your experience, and show you can do a great job. All three reasons are much harder than just applying to jobs online. That is why many job seekers remain stuck because the easiest job search methods take time and investment.

You will need to market to the right employer who is the right fit for you and them. Any hiring contrary to a good fit for both works against you. Your adjustment to the job is critical as you’re there to do the job and learn it without special attention.

Read If Your Personal Brand is Not Disruptive, You Won’t Matter

Being a marketer is a risk. You’re treating yourself more of a commodity. By adding your personality draws attention and conversations will begin.

And that’s what you want: Positive conversations about you when while you’re not in the room. But it’s the result of effective branding.

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If your job search is a marketing campaign or a public relations effort, what does it look like:

1. Job search with a marketer’s heart

The successful candidate is no longer thinking of himself solely as an applicant but a brand. Since successful brands diversify their marketing, so should a job candidate. He or she is thinking about displaying their talent, skills, and personality in front of the right people.

As a marketer looks to segment and targets their audience, a job seeker should target their desired company.

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2. Your job search story has several views

You must learn the way your story looks like from different perspectives so you can tell the same story to different people in different ways. There is something to be said about telling a joke the same ways more than once. Most of us don’t. The joke can still be funny from different perspectives as it pertains to the audience.

3. Know what each employer’s value need is

Marketing is trial and error. Powerful marketing is meeting the need for specific markets and people sharing the positive benefits of the product or service. Employers are going to care more when a need resonates with them, not only for everyone else. Research companies and customize your approach to them.

Here are specific ways a successful candidate uses marketing tactics:

  • Personality differentiates you from the competition, so anytime you can display what makes you a fit for the culture, then this can capture the right employer’s attention
  • Letting people know how conversations are shaping his or her view of the industry. Sometimes this generates further discussion especially on social networks including LinkedIn and Facebook groups
  • Sharing their successes and the lessons from failures, mistakes, or lack of results
  • Giving more than getting is the heart of their existence

Marketing yourself has to become constant even during an inactive job search. We can argue if an “inactive job search” is a thing anymore, but everything is marketing and so is every opportunity. You cannot blindly offer value to a company or individual who does not need or want it. It’s the frustration of job seekers who are still appealing to everyone and meeting the needs of no one.

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.

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6 Ways to Own the Job Search Process and Kill the Game in Five Years

6 Ways to Own the Job Search Process and Kill the Game in Five Years

Have you thought about how you’ll remain engaged in the job search even if you love your current gig? Few jobs offer security much less can promise stability.

How can you be “gainfully” employed in 2017?

You only have one job? One job?

My opinion, you’ll win a vacation spot spinning the wheel on “Wheel of Fortune.” It’s more plausible than getting an interview through job boards. Although lots of people do succeed applying through job boards, most people don’t. The debate continues.

What will rock your job search in five years?

The search looks like this in five years:

1) The job search will require constant vigilance

All careers will shift and change as the economy does. Companies worldwide will modify the way they do business more quickly and frequently. To disengage from trends is surrendering your options to your replacement.

2) The job search requires proof and content

You must show social proof of your abilities, and anticipate how others can do the same. Interviewers will want to discuss how you solve problems. Yes, original thoughts rather than sharing provides more street cred in all professional spaces. You gain a competitive edge by having your personal website. Linkedin makes creating content easy and clean. Many more of us need blogs of our offering breadth and value.

3) The job search requires offline visibility 

You disrupt all job application through referrals or being discovered. Add to the conversation at large while producing value at work. Join conference panels or get interviewed at a college or radio station (or television). You won’t be a celebrity, but you will need to be known and found. Participate in conferences, lectures, and meetings at professional affiliates and organizations to heighten your industry profile. No longer be the person standing in the back of the room.

4) Volunteer counts in the job search

The right volunteer project can keep your skills and network fresh and relevant. You can control more of the lifestyle desires. Exploring new ideas, skills, or network can help you pivot to a new career if you are looking to change.

5) The documented job search

Finding hacks to your work? Why not share it using Facebook Live? Or Instagram Stories (or wherever recruiters and employers look)? Initiating dialogue around your ideas are as valuable as they are right or wrong? By the way, there is nothing wrong with presenting an idea not embraced by most.

6) Mobility before, during, and after your job search

Expand your options globally. Contracting is where most experts predict how professionals will work. Be ready to keep your business office, transactions, and coworkers to your phone. Your laptop will be your primary workplace and workspace.

Does this sound like entrepreneurship or a job search? There are few differences, and you can expect those worlds to collide even more. In five years, you must own your career. You’ll need to own every phase of your job search. It seems overwhelming at first, but it is everyone’s reality.

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.