Monday, March 3, 2014

How to Get a Job -- No Matter What!

Liz Ryan

Hey Liz, I read a lot of your articles. I like them. They cheer me up.

That's good. Why do you need to be cheered up?

I'm job-hunting. It's awful.

What's awful about it?

It's so hard. I'm so afraid I won't get an interview, and then I don't, or I get the interview and then 
nothing happens.

Tell me your name?

Chris.

Okay Chris, why do you think that's happening - so few interviews, and no callbacks?

Well, I mean-- the economy is horrible, and I'm not the perfect candidate.

Why not?

I'm not sure I have what employers are looking for. The job ads are full of requirements I don't have.

Chris, can I ask you a few questions?

Sure.

You say that you read my columns. Have you read the ones about avoiding online applications in those Black Hole portals, and reaching your hiring manager directly?

Yeah, I have, but that doesn't apply to me. I can't do that.

Why not?

It's - um, I'm more of a conformist type of person. I understand what you're saying, though. It sounds cool. Just, not for me -- that's for other people.

So you feel you have to follow the rules?

Definitely.

Why's that?

I guess I'm just not the rule-breaking type.

Do you want my opinion?

Yes.

Chris, here's my opinion. You're not going to get a job by following the rules. Between your compromised mojo and your belief that you have to follow other people's rules, you're at a dead end. There's nowhere to go. There's no fuel for your job search, and your engine is broken.

You're in line at the deli, waiting for your number to be called, but there are lots and lots of people in line ahead of you and no guarantee there'll be roast beef available when your number gets called. The deli may close while you're waiting.

Well, I'm going to keep reading your stuff.

I can write columns until I'm blue in the face and you can read them for the next ten thousand years, but if you want a job or desperately need one, you'll have to step outside your comfort zone. You'll have to do things differently.

Read the rest of Liz's LinkedIn Influencer article to find out how to get a job no matter what 

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