I don’t know of anyone who gets up in the morning excited about the prospect of job hunting. Usually, the process of looking for a job is associated with more than just change, it is fraught with what is considered rejection. At a time when you might be feeling low, you now face something like an attack on your personal being. When that happens, you find millions of reasons not to job hunt and from there, a negative spiral can take over.
The truth is, to look at the process of job hunting as personal is very erroneous. How could anyone possibly make an accurate determination about you from a piece of paper or spending an hour with you in a job interview? You are so much more, and it takes years to understand it all. Can’t happen in an hour. It just can’t.
The healthy way to look at job hunting, and the approach, which is more accurate, is to see it for what it truly is, a numbers game. Getting a job is more like a lottery game or scratch card game than you might have realized. Your “numbers” need to line up with someone else’s “numbers”. Then an employer considers you a fit. Winning the lottery is all about odds and you increase odds by buying more scratch tickets or lottery number tickets.
How do you address this numbers game when job hunting? Apply for lots of jobs, lots of them. And be creative in your process, tailor your application, resumé, and follow up correspondence to the job. Go the extra distance and send an extra letter or make an extra phone call. It will help your chances of getting your numbers to match up with theirs.
Here are some examples:
Just out of college, I must have sent out 50 cover letters and resumes. Not applying for a specific job, but letting someone know I existed. I got 1, yes ONE, response. I got a job with them. Numbers…I didn’t take the process personally.
Another job I applied for, I could tell they were hesitant to hire because I was in a dress and the environment was not fancy. I sent a follow up letter saying that the dress was in respect of them and the interview process; it didn’t reflect what I would wear to work each day. I tried to get my numbers line up with theirs. I got the job.
I once search LinkedIn for a anyone at Company XYZ, which had a job I wanted. I found someone, who then told me the name and email address of the person who had the job opening. I called them. By expressing interest and going the extra mile, I got my numbers to line up with theirs. I got the job.
I can guarantee – that in example 2 and 3, if I hadn’t gone the extra distance, I wouldn’t have gotten the job. By going the extra mile, I increased the odds in my favor.
So remember. It isn’t personal. It is about numbers and odds
Era Lewis 