It feels an awful lot like dating. And even the ugly guys won’t call you back.”
That’s how someone on LinkedIn described the job seeking process. (I think it was LinkedIn. It might have been a different online platform. I wrote it down in my notebook a few months ago, meaning to share it with you.)
You know, in many ways the job seeking process *really is* like dating – and that’s why I’ll often use dating/relationship metaphors to make a point.
For example.
We were talking about the “shotgun” approach to job seeking – when you apply to just about every job that looks halfway decent (even the “ugly” ones).
Makes sense, right?
Because having “a” job is better than having “no” job.
Or, to borrow that lady’s metaphor above, having an “ugly” boyfriend is better than having “no” boyfriend… right? (You can always trade up later…)
But let’s pretend you’re the “ugly guy” for a second:
Who are you going to make your girlfriend – one of the many dozens of desperate women who don’t care who you are and have just blasted you with the same proposition they sent to dozens of other “ugly guys”, or that one girl who took the time to get to know you and likes you for who you are?
I know this metaphor is a bit lame.
But there’s an important lesson here:
Very few hiring managers want to give their position to someone who just wants “a” job. They’re saving it for someone who wants that specific role more than anything else in the world. Why? Because they’re the kind of people who will put their heart and soul into the work and make the team successful.
Yes, hiring managers can spot this.
They can spot it a mile away.
And this is why you need to take a more targeted approach to applying for jobs. Just like we teach in Dream Job Formula.
There’s a dream job for you out there, somewhere.
And right now, there’s a hiring manager hoping that you – their dream candidate, the one who has the rare experience they need on their team – will apply to their job in a way that shows them you really want it.
(Because if you send them a “cut-and-paste” cover letter, they’ll mistake you for just another desperate job seeker who just wants “a” job.)
Where are these hiring managers? And how do you find them?
That’s what I teach in Dream Job Formula.
