Job Opportunities: What’s the Backstory?

As a job hunter, I’d encourage you to keep one thing clearly in mind: there’s a story behind every hiring opportunity!

Sometimes this story is a positive one and the company in question is simply creating a new position as the result of rapid growth or the need to fill the shoes of somebody who just got promoted.  In many other cases, however, the story has a series of more negative or melodramatic aspects to it.  Perhaps the last person in the position was fired due to poor performance or for not getting along with the boss.  Or perhaps the company just recently changed its strategy and now needs somebody who can help it develop a marketing program in Asia, instead of in the United States, as they’d originally planned.  Or perhaps the last person in the job quit or was transferred to another department, forcing the manager to do the work of two people until he or she finds a replacement.

Regardless of the exact circumstances, the more you seek to understand the “backstory” behind any given position you’re pursuing, the more effective you’ll be at selling yourself for the role.  You’ll not only be able to speak more directly to the wants and needs of the organization, but just as importantly, you might be able to tap into the specific personal motives of the hiring manager in terms of how they’d benefit by making the “ideal” hire.  Would they make more money?  Experience less stress?  Gain more power and influence?  Have more fun?  Avoid risk, blame, or embarrassment?  Remember, hiring managers are people, too!  Despite the fact that job descriptions tend to be couched in sterile, corporate-sounding language, each person involved in the hiring decision will have personal skin in the game and likely be making the decision based primarily on how hiring the right candidate will make their lives better.

So if you’re in transition, I’d encourage you to keep this concept firmly in mind during your search and, if appropriate, consider asking the following questions in the interview to deepen your understanding of the very real — but invisible — factors at play:

•  What are you hoping that the ideal candidate will be able to accomplish in the first 90 days?
•  At the end of the first year, how will you know that you hired the right person for the job?
•  Can I ask if this is a newly-created job or whether I’d be inheriting the position from somebody else?
•  If the job isn’t a new one, can I ask what has caused the position to become open?
•  Are there certain personal qualities or characteristics you’re most hoping to find in your new employee?
•  In general, what kinds of employees and personality types tend to work out best on your team?
•  Do you mind if I ask what aspect of my background or resume intrigues you the most?
•  What challenges, if any, do you feel the new hire is going to experience in completing the tasks at hand?
•  How will success in this position be measured?
•  What goals do you have for your department and how would this new hire help you achieve them?

Obviously, you’ll have to use common sense in deciding which of these questions might be appropriate to ask, and when, but this line of inquiry can really pay off in revealing the real motivations, forces, and factors behind a company’s decision to add headcount.

Scratch a little bit under the surface and you’ll be amazed at what you might learn — and how you can use this information to sell the employer what they really want, instead of simply “going through the motions” and never connecting with the needs of the hiring manager on an emotional level!

Got Help?

It’s been a busy week, and while I haven’t the opportunity to blog over the past few days, I’ve been noticing a common theme among the wave of positive interactions and job search developments I’ve witnessed as of late — which is that they all involved people asking for, and receiving, help!

I wish I could go into specific detail about all of the events that have contributed to this observation, but alas, I have to preserve a certain level of confidentiality for many of the people involved.  Still, there are three stories I can pass along that should serve to illustrate the basic point I’m trying to get across.

• One client wrote to share that he’s been actively publishing news of his job hunt and career goals on a wide range of different websites and on-line networking groups, even ones where he doesn’t know any of the other members.  The results of this effort?  In his own words: “I am astounded by the number of people who have replied and have directed me to others.  I have no idea what the final outcome will be, but it proves that people really want to help, but they need to know you need their help!  My point in mentioning this is that I’m finding help from people I don’t know…maybe moreso than people I do know!   I just thought you might be interested.  Ask, ask, ask, ask, ask….”

• In another case, a business acquaintance of mine, Dave Friant, sent along a note to announce that he’d finally gotten around to writing and publishing a book that he’d had in mind for 26 years!  He not only wanted to share news of his new publication (definitely check out www.thecardboardboatbook.com if you’ve got a moment!) but to also have me mention to all of you out there that if you’ve got extra time on your hands, due to unemployment, it can be a great time to “complete old projects and dreams that have been on the back burner.”  I thought this was a terrific point and I appreciated the fact that Dave was moved not just to talk about his own recent success story, but to help others realize the same sense of pride and accomplishment.  He also offered, graciously, to chat with any of my clients who might be interested in learning how one can get a book published for less than $300 these days and distributed via Amazon.com!

• In a final example, a client of mine recently asked me whether I thought high school guidance counselors would be a good source of business leads and open to partnering with an outside consultant specializing in college placement.  This was an important question, since pursuing this marketing avenue could turn out to be either be a stroke of brilliance or a huge waste of time.  Not knowing the answer, however, I connected this individual to an acquaintance in my network who I only know in passing, but who proceeded to write a MASSIVE e-mail back within the space of a few hours, validating the idea in question and suggesting all sorts of ways my client could approach this avenue successfully!  Could this person have just blown the request off?  Absolutely.  But once again, I was reminded of how incredibly generous most people can be, when you give them the chance…

The bottom line?  While each of these stories is an island unto itself, and relates to a completely different business or job search need, collectively they form an archipelago of evidence suggesting we can all continue to have faith in human nature — and that most people are still open to providing a helping hand to those courageous (and humble) enough to ask for it.

In fact, in a very real sense, it might be a wise idea for professionals in transition to completely reframe the concept of a job search into that of a “research project” instead.  This might actually be a more accurate characterization of the attitude and activities most likely to result in success.  What’s more, viewing the job search process from a research lens forces job hunters to confront two critical questions right up front in their search: (1) what kind of help do they need? and (2) who are the people most likely in a position to offer this help?

Figure these two questions out, and lo and behold, you’ve instantly got a crystal-clear networking roadmap to follow…

Is Income the Outcome?

Pop quiz: what’s more important — finding a job that you love or finding a job that pays you what you want to earn?

These days, the politically correct answer would be to say “both” and suggest that nobody should ever settle for less money or less happiness than that ideally want to obtain.  As people are discovering, however, at least in the current market, many career decisions DO come down to some level of tradeoff in this regard.  This reality becomes even more pronounced as workers become older and more experienced, since in many cases, their income needs often rise substantially at the mid-career point to accommodate things like owning a home, college tuition, putting away money for retirement, and the like.  So one of the most essential planks of effective career planning is the need for people to think soberly about the subject of money and come to grips with the relative priority that income plays in their lives.  Is is better to continue your career as an attorney in order to bring home a six-figure salary, even if you’re utterly bored with the practice of law?  Is it time to disembark from the CFO track to pursue your screenwriting interests?  Is it advisable to check out of your high-paying job at Microsoft and open that bike shop you’ve been dreaming about, even if you might not make a single penny of take-home pay during the first year or two of operation?

These are the very real conundrums that many professionals are struggling through these days and I frequently encounter people who feel torn between the basic need for economic security and the higher-order desire to find work that makes them happy, fulfilled, and fully self-actualized as a human being.  In fact, in one of the most marvelous Freudian slips I’ve ever witnessed, one of my clients remarked “I really want to make a career change and do something I’m more passionate about, but honestly, I can’t afford to start over or take a major pay cut, so I feel like I’m stuck in a cash-22…”

So what role does money play in choosing a career, exactly?  How should one view the economic factor compared to other important elements such as personal growth, enjoyment, or making a difference in the world?

My own personal opinion, frankly, is that money is a much more important element of career satisfaction than people realize or are usually willing to admit, either to others or to themselves.  I don’t say this lightly, however, and I’m not suggesting that we all should willingly acquiesce to a lifetime as wage slaves, toiling along in drudgery.  It’s just that when you stop and think about it, income is the one indispensable characteristic that defines the notion of a “job” in the first place.  Everything else one might want out of an employment relationship can be derived from other sources, when it comes down to it.  If we want to make a difference in the world, there are ample volunteer opportunities in which we can participate.  If we want to stretch our boundaries to their full potential, we can train for a marathon, master a foreign language, or pursue virtuoso status on a musical instrument.  And if we want to have fun, well, we’ve all got our hobbies — or at a bare minimum, a near-infinite number of diversions and entertainment options to choose from.

But the single ingredient that makes a job a job (and not a hobby) is the fact that you get paid for doing it.  So to dismiss economic needs as unimportant or somehow more “unworthy” than other possible work outcomes or factors seems a bit disingenuous, to me.  In fact, I love how Jason Alba of JibberJobber framed the issue in a recent LinkedIn Answers question he posted here that generated over 50 responses.  He essentially suggests that our society has now outgrown the whole concept of “job security” and posits, instead, that what most people are really facing (and will continue to face) is an “income security” problem, instead.  How can we guarantee ourselves a steady income in a world where job tenures are fleeting, uncertain, and tenuous?  Is “going out and getting another job” still the answer, in all cases, or should individuals adopt a broader, more diversified strategy for producing income in their lives?  Perhaps the next generation won’t even be able to entertain the luxury of settling down into a single, steady career path.  Instead, they might need to put themselves in a position to receive multiple income streams (as Jason has) or manage their cash flow much more aggressively in order to make ends meet on an ongoing basis.

At any rate, for those of you out there in transition, I guess my takeaway from this somewhat rambling post would be to encourage you to think hard about the role that money really plays in your list of career priorities.  While you may be passionate about finding a job with flexible hours or that gets you excited to jump out of bed in the morning, I suspect you are at least equally passionate about feeding your family, putting  a roof over their head, and providing them with a comfortable lifestyle.  Am I wrong about this?  If so, perhaps you’re the exception to the rule, but for most people I work with, we quickly discover that economic analysis is a fundamental part of making smart, sustainable career decisions.

As Daniel Quinn put it in Ishmael, one of my favorite books of all time, “the world would be a much different place if some idiot, 10,000 years ago, didn’t decide to lock up all the food…”

Time for a Gratitude Journal?

I don’t care how tough, strong-willed, or self-reliant you are — if you’ve found yourself caught between jobs at the moment, your journey to new employment is going to include a number of anxiety-filled days that seriously test your faith.  You’re going to have moments when you doubt yourself.  When you feel lost.  When you wonder if you’re doing everything wrong.  When you have to pinch pennies and forgo certain luxuries you used to take for granted.  And when you start to question, perhaps, whether you’ll ever work again after an offer or two goes sideways on you — or you send out a batch of resumes without getting a single response!

These are the reactions that I hear every day, behind closed doors, from talented professionals who have enjoyed a decade (or two, or three…) of career success and then suddenly find themselves out on the street, facing the worst job market we’ve seen in ages.  Let’s face it, the reality of what’s going on out there isn’t news to anyone, and anybody pretending or suggesting otherwise is engaging in gross self-deception.  In fact, if I were to try and convince you that this market was “normal” and every unemployed person was going to land on their feet in record time, I’m 100% positive I’d lose any shred of credibility you ever had for me as a career coach.  Heck, I might even sue myself for malpractice!

So things are tough out there right now and there’s just no getting around it.  The good news, however, is that there actually are proven strategies that people can follow to help cope with their fears and doubts effectively.  I’ve talked about a number of these techniques previously, such as exercise, diet, volunteerism, turning off the news, and the like, but I wanted to dedicate this specific post to one coping strategy that I haven’t talked much about in the past.  This involves the development of a “gratitude journal” where you set aside a few minutes of time, each day, to banish the gloom and reflect (in written form, preferably) on some of the positive things in your life.

Sound corny?  Perhaps.  Especially to those of us stubborn, self-reliant types!  While this technique might not be needed in typical times, however, when you could count on a much steadier flow of good news to drown out the bad, I think it can play a crucial role in the job hunting strategy of professionals today — and that every single one of us stands to benefit from a daily dose of affirmations to help combat the societal malaise out there.  We’re smack in the middle of a long winter, so who knows?  A few minutes of daily exposure to a sun lamp might make all the difference in the world…

Want to try out this technique?  If so, you can either Google the phrase “gratitude journal” and harvest ideas from dozens of sites devoted to the topic, or you can keep things simple, get a blank notebook, and just write down five things you’re grateful for before you go to bed each night.  Not sure you’ve got five things to celebrate?  That’s unlikely, especially if you take a moment to brainstorm around the following categories:

•  Relationships (children, parents, spouse, family, pets, romance, teachers, mentors, new friends, etc.)
•  Wellness (life, health, weight loss, exercise, athletic feats, energy, clarity, simplicity, spiritual truths, etc.)
•  Beauty (art, music, sculpture, books, your garden, the outdoors, cool ideas, architecture, good hair days, etc.)
•  Achievements (reaching goals, learning new skills, honors, awards, recognition, gifts given/received, etc.)
•  Things (wealth, savings, insurance, prized possessions, affordable luxuries, your home/boat/car, etc.)
•  Grab Bag (laughter, good fortune, schadenfreude, fine wine, killer parking spots, random acts of kindness, etc.)

So if you’re having trouble keeping your spirits up, which is a vital part of job hunting success, I’d strongly urge you to give the gratitude journal concept a try.  I can’t promise miracles, but having tried it myself on particularly tough days, I’ve become a believer — and can almost instantly see my perspective change once I reframe things from “what’s wrong” to “what’s right” with my life.  Many of the people in my network who I admire the most, in fact, have confided to me that journaling is a regular part of their daily regimen!

P.S.  On this topic, I also can’t resist a special shout-out to David Brooke at www.thebrooker.com, who is perhaps THE strongest and most persuasive proponent of this technique I’ve ever met…