People often ask me, “Where can I find a job?” Actually, “Where can I find a job at a great company?” is more accurate. So in a desire to answer it, I decided to Google the question. Funny thing? The top two searches are “Where could I find a job?” and “Were can I find a job.”
Now, I ain’t no English major, but I’m pretty sure I can see the problems in these searches. Bad grammar aside, I wanted to be able to provide a few answers to what I think is the most important aspect of finding a job. First, let me say this: If all you want are some Benjamins in your pocket, then feel free to put in applications at any business you can find.
But I believe the folks reading this post want a little more than just a J-O-B. Hopefully, you want to find a place where you can get paid well, get rewarded for doing a great job, and go home at the end of the day happy and ready to return the following business day. If so, here are a few things I think you should do first.
- How strong are you? No, this isn’t a physical question. What everyone should first discover is their strengths. In Why You Must Discover Your Strengths, I interviewed Tom Rath, author of StrengthsFinder 2.0. One of the shocking statistics he shares is that two-thirds of people do not feel they are doing their best work each day. So why do they keep doing it? Take the StrengthsFinder 2.0 test and see where you’re strong.
- What are you passionate about? So many of us throw ourselves at any position available, simply so we get paid. The problem is that we end up working somewhere we don’t like, and we aren’t passionate about it. I have nothing to back this up. But I believe if you don’t love what you do 60% of the time, you’ll hate it 100% of the time. Career Coach Dan Miller has an excellent way for you to discover your passions at 48Days.com
- How do you communicate? It is vitally important to know your personality style. I am heavy into using the DISC profile system because it’s easy and it completely reads you in 25 questions. Once you understand your profile, you can begin to know how you give and receive information. This is crazy important when it comes to winning with people. Read The Missing Link To Your Communication for more on that.
- What culture are you from? Champions want to work in a place they fit in nicely. There’s nothing worse than landing a job and finding out later that it’s full of petty backstabbing and gossip. When in an interview, ask questions about how they handle situations to see if it’s the kind of place where you want to work.
With this information it is my belief that you now have a road map to the kind of place you will fit in at and thrive. Being successful in business is only part of the equation. As you get older, you discover that loving what you do it just as important. Detail all of your results and include them with your resume at your next interview. Don’t be surprised if the interviewer has to pick their jaw up off of their desk.
Question: What tips do you have for someone looking to find a job?
I don’t have any tips, I’m in the process of doing this myself. What I CAN say is that being paid relatively well isn’t real helpful if you don’t like what you’re doing. You will still feel completely frustrated and drained at the end of the day! Dan Miller’s 48 Days Radio Podcast is a great resource, as well as the 48 Days book like Chris said…
@Skropp Agreeeeed! Money can’t buy happiness! If only someone had told me that when I was younger. Oh, wait! I think Grandma did? Yikes!
@selfemployedbob Yup. I’ve heard it too. You know, looking back on my job history, I’m amazed at how I chose jobs (and I’m sure I’m the ONLY ONE that does this, haha). I took the first offer that came up. It had nothing to do with whether I enjoyed the work, liked the company, fit with my personal goals (what are those?), it just paid a quarter more or got me out of the previous job that I’d jumped into way too fast. At the “ripe old age” of 27, I’m glad I’m learnin(thanks to chris locurto, dan miller, and others) g to live my life on purpose rather than “come what may”. I’ve done that, and I cant handle another 40+ years of “come what may!”
@Skropp @selfemployedbob Try being 37 and realizing that. Ouch! Love Dan Miller too! Helped inspire my site.
@selfemployedbob Ya. I guess in the scheme of things I’m not in a bad position to be learning it, but man I look back at the past ten years ad can see all I missed by not determining to live on purpose! Blogs, podcasts, etc have been awesome for me…”associating” with successful people while I’m driving is necessary to combat all the negative people I deal wit at work every day!
My tip relates to something I hear chrislocurto say all the time – “Ask good questions”. In simply talking to people in your network and mentioning what you’re good at and what you’re looking for, you can get potential leads to new jobs or new clients for your business.
Man that’s great advice. 😀
Excellent rundown, Chris! I’d add seek out an organization that focuses on growing their people, especially if you desire to be a position of leadership one day. Leaders never stop learning. So ask questions about employee development programs, training opportunities, etc. The interviewer should be able to talk at length about this stuff. If they can’t, that’s a potential warning sign the organization is lacking in this area.
@JoelFortner
This is good stuff! Unfortunately, I’ve fallen into this trap personally and have regretted it for many years. I could never figure out why I wasn’t happy and thought it was just supposed to be that way? However, it became especially clear once I read Entreleadership how many deficiencies “some” corporations have. And since I started where I’m at so many years ago, I never asked those simple questions. I just kept trying to fix the culture from the bottom up; impossible – if the oil drips from the beard, anyway.
Love the idea of putting my personality profile in my portfolio!!! Thanks for getting me all worked up this morning Chris / Joel. 😉
Hahaha…I’m glad it got you all worked up! That’s my intention. 🙂
Thanks! Chris has written about “leading up.” I recommend finding those posts here.
@JoelFortner Thanks for the tip Joel! Just did a search on Chris’s blog and found a couple of nuggets.
Although, I do think there is a point where you have to decide if influencing the culture of an entire corporation from the bottom is even possible or worth the effort.
That’s not to say you don’t keep trying while you are there; you just set your long-term goals up differently once you know.
When you know that the owner and or top leadership has no interest in self examination, changing the culture or in the personal growth of the “team”, things may not pan out in the end.
I know this sounds a little negative, but after many years of being laughed at for talking about team work, self improvement, and cultivating a winning culture, I know that this is a reality for many. I just don’t want anyone to lose hope when there are orgs out there that think differently!
Thanks again!
Wurd!!
@JoelFortner This is one of the biggest things for me. And one of the reasons I love my current job 🙂 My boss bought a training package for me to attend unlimited seminars for a year–LOVE IT!!
I was at my Toastmasters club meeting yesterday and had to answer the question “What is your dream job?” I said, every job I’ve had has been my dream job. I have never accepted a position at a place I did not like from the start. That has allowed me to turn every job into a dream job, where I’ve had the opportunity to learn new things, hone my skills and serve a higher purpose. I know job seeking can be a frustrating experience. I’ve been there. But you still get to choose where to go to work. Paying the bills is a lot easier when you’re happy. I’ve had very successful interviews and even if I didn’t get the job, I’ve built good relationships with the recruiters and managers. A few job search tips that have worked for me:
– It is true that networking is the most reliable source for finding a great fit. Internet searches will help you locate good businesses in your area and give you an idea of who is hiring and what they are looking for. Unfortunately, by the time the job postings hit the Internet, you’re too late. People hire people they know and trust.
– Show the interviewer you are willing to walk the extra mile and come bearing gifts. I read this great advice and have applied it with wonderful results. Come with a portfolio of custom-designed solutions for your potential employer. You’ll knock their socks off. https://articles.businessinsider.com/2011-07-19/strategy/30089405_1_traditional-interview-job-gifts
– Apply for jobs where you are a great fit. It’s the only way you’ll get their attention. Close enough doesn’t cut it.
-Look for a good company or business and explain to them how your skills and talents will help them become great. Interview them as much as they interview you.
– I’ve used Chris’ advice of including the results of the DISC profile in the interview “Tell me about yourself” portion. It blows them away.
Great great stuff Lily!!
Great advice! Relationships are HUGE!
@lilykreitinger Wow! I love the tip on including your DISC profile results. That’s awesome. Saves everyone a great deal of time, I’d imagine.
It works really well. Hiring managers and recruiters are not used to seeing those coming from a candidate/prospective employee. It positions you so well to demonstrate how you are the right person for the job. It does leave them speechless 🙂
I was just listening to your interview with Tom Rath this morning and couldn’t agree more with how vital it is to focus on your strengths rather than your weaknesses. I first took the Strength Finders test 3 years ago and since then my wife, my team and even my in-laws have taken the test too! It has completely shifted my relationship (in a good way) with each person! What a great way to show a potential employer that you know your strengths and you know how to work with people who have different strengths!
Couldn’t agree more brother.
I think the key is to not look just for a job but for a career. If you’re looking for summer employment as a college kid, that’s one thing. But if you want this to be your lifestyle, then you’ve got to think through how much you’d like the career field if you were still in it 10 or 20 or 30 years from now.
Absolutely!
@Loren Pinilis At the same time, some of us need to realize the job we want to do for 30 years, we may not be ready for yet. Some jobs we love now are transitional jobs, preparing us for the “bigger and better”.
Fantastic points Chris! This is making me rethink and reevaluate my situation. Thank you so much for sharing. As far as tips go in the job search? Do not deny your personal network. That is how you find and get interviews, not online applications.
Great advice Jim! So many jobs a re right under your nose.
It must take a very long time to find the right fit when you and your employer and the organization must all be in synch. What would you do if you just needed to bring in a paycheck until you did find the right fit??
Apply anywhere that pays well.
@cabinart There are a number of agencies out there that match up job seekers and companies. I went through one while looking for my current job. And while searching, they provided me with a decent paying temp job. The job I currently have, I found through a completely different route. But because the companies, not the job seekers, are the agencies’ “clients”, that was okay. I never signed a contract with the agency–I didn’t owe them anything. They made it clear my decision was perfectly acceptable, and if I ever needed another job…..to come back–apparently I interview well 🙂
Here are some tips I’ve learned over the years in relation to job searching. In sales you are taught to “ABC” – always be closing. In the area of job searching you always need to networking. If you are not up to speed with LinkedIn put it at the top of your priority list. Begin to build your brand with a blog, look at it as a living resume. Be passionate about your job search and the product you are selling – the product being you. Present the results you’ve delivered to your current or previous employer – experience is great but results are what pay the bills for you and your employer. Marketing always begins with answering the question of your customer – ‘what’s in it for me?’ – your potential employer needs you to answer that same question. Show them what’s in it for them if they hire you.
Amen brother!
Definitely the right tips for anyone who looking for their dream job, which I am hoping will happen soon! My problem is that my past work experience was in a different field than my dream job. How do we get past automated resume readers? Also, is it okay to indicate my passions, StrengthFinder results or my DISC profile within my cover letter? Or should I just try to use the “language” of those items? At this moment I would work as a janitor for my dream company just to get my foot in the door.
@TrishaTurquette What has worked for me is to think of transferable skills. What have you done so far that would help you in the new field? Are you great at managing people, managing projects, doing research, presenting a difficult topic, problem-solving… and so on. The only way to get past ATS (Applicant Tracking Systems) is to find a contact within the company that will look at your resume and application. It is WHAT you know and WHO knows YOU. I wouldn’t use the DISC or Strengths Finder in a cover letter, it could be overkill. You can use it in a modified version of the traditional resume where it could have more impact. If you know who you want to work for, try to establish a relationship with them and tell them why your great skills can meet their needs. With LinkedIn and Twitter, it’s easier than ever. Good luck!
You can definitely put it in a cover letter. I just like the idea of having it listed IN the resume. I would be shocked to see that as an interviewer.
@TrishaTurquette I know this doesn’t address what you’re talking about directly, but thought you might find it helpful…
I took quotes from my last work review and stuck them in my cover letter. Things that would be applicable to any company: Being an enthusiastic worker, quick learner, happy to stay late, flexible, professional, etc.
I believe in a previous post Chris responded to one of the commenters by saying he’d rather hire a person with passion for the position and no experience than a person with experience, but no passion.
Having to teach a new employee can be inconvenient, but you can be passionate and enthusiastic enough about the job the person hiring will think teaching you will be easy, worthwhile, and even enjoyable. Who would give up enjoying the time for someone who just wants to be paid and never wears a smile? 😉
Best wishes to you!
Tips for someone looking for a job? Sure. Here’s a few for the lucky few in this economy that make it past the paperwork and into the interview chair:
1. Dress to impress. If you show up looking like you don’t take the job seriously, I don’t take you seriously. Make an effort. Business casual, or it’s gonna be a short interview.
2. Ask questions. If you don’t have any questions about the position you are trying to fill, that’s a big red flag. It shows you’re just in line for a paycheck.
3. Don’t ask about salary and benefits on the first interview. As much as this is very important thing to know about your potential new position, wait for the second interview.
These few things alone have helped me sort through a long line of candidates for various positions in the past.
Great info Scott!!
— Stay networked.
— Stay awake at all times
— Concentrate on overall personality development (rather than technical skill alone)
It must take a very long time to find the right fit when you and your employer and the organization must all be in synch.
A J.O.B.? Well, not certain of what tips I would give – but for someone looking for a “calling”? I just ask ed my son-in-law – “What work would you want to do tomorrow if money was not the issue – you could do anything you wanted to do?” And the answer he gave me was one I already knew. The “work” he would do would probably not pay him the salary he needs to support his family right now. The “work” he would do – he would actually probably do for free. We’ll see what the future holds for him. For now, he dreads Mondays and longs for Fridays.
And that’s the key – finding the profession that even if you didn’t get paid – you’d do it anyway – because it’s the “call” on your life. I’m blessed – that’s what I’m doing. Exactly the work I want to do……And the pay is lagniappe.
Find your passion – the money will follow.
I Got Some Experience As A Cashier, So For My Next Job I Can Do Cashier. I DON”T Want To Work As A Fast Food Restaurant So What Job I Can Applied Instead Of Fast Food Restaurant?
I need a job where can I find one? I’m a chef?
Depending on your background only certain jobs will hire you. But maybe try temp service jobs (I.e manpower or employment group, addeco. Sometimes places don’t even look @ that! Good Luck Hun.