What does an active Job seeker do? In other words, what are the activities does s/he indulge in?
- S/he does research to get as many potential employers.
- Then, S/he approaches them through various means of communication - Telephone, Email, Jobsites, references and so on.....
- Attends interview meetings
- Waits for the response.
Well, if the job seeker is selected and offered, Congratulations !!
otherwise, move on with the effort and keep repeating the above. But, one thing that most Job seekers mention is - "Getting a Good Job is Very hard..."
Lets take it further on to the other side of Hiring table...
During many of my appearances in front of the business audiences and interactions with many of the Employers/ Hiring Managers/ Leaders, two observations come out very distinctly...
- Hiring Good People is Hard.
- Hiring great People is Brutally Hard.
Nothing matters more in winning than getting the right people on the field. All the clever strategies and advanced technologies in the world are nowhere near effective without great people to put them to work.
Where is the Gap then?
Well, Great employers desperate to hire great people. And on the other hand, great job seekers desperate to get hired by good companies.....
Then why do job seekers find it very hard to get Good Jobs?
To my mind, to a large extent the answer lies in the lack of job seeker's understanding of Employer's / Hiring manager's perspective and his view of - Good / Great Employee....
A job seeker might be Well groomed, good looking, smart and well educated candidate, but does he face the interviewer with a clear perspective on what the employer is looking at? Is the job seeker her/him self projecting right?
Let us understand the Hiring Manager's/ Employer's perspective. What S/he is looking at and how S/he is analyzing you?
Because Hiring Right is so important for any Employer, lets try and understand what and how a job seeker is being observed and assessed. While writing the following, I'm assuming that your formal education certificates, age etc are in order. Let go.......
- The First Test is for INTEGRITY: Integrity is a fuzzy word, so let me tell you my definition. People with integrity tell truth and they keep their word.They take responsibility for their past actions, admit mistakes and fix them. They know the laws of their country, industry and company - both in letter and spirit- and abide by them. If you have jumped a red light to reach for interview on time, you are low on integrity.
- The Second Test is for INTELLIGENCE: This does not mean that person is an Einstein, or loved to read Shakespeare. It does mean that the candidate has strong dose on intellectual curiosity, with a breadth of knowledge to work with or lead other smart people in today's complex world. And, do not make the mistake of confusing formal education with intelligence.
- The Third Test is for MATURITY: You can be mature at any age, and immature too. Maturity means that a person has grown up, the individual can handle stress, withstand the heat, handle stress and setbacks and can also enjoy success. Mature people respect the emotions of others and are confident about themselves.
Once the Employer/Hiring Manager has assessed you on the above and has created positive impressions on the above aspect the interviewer will move on with further assessments on following very important personality traits of the candidate:
- Positive Energy: It means ability to go....go...go... to thrive on action and relish change. People with Positive energy are generally extroverted and optimistic. They make conversations and friends easily. These people are enthusiastic about everything, every day, every moment. They love to play and they love life.
- Ability to Energize others: People who energize are the people with positive energies themselves and can inspire their team to take on the impossible- and enjoy doing it.
- Courage to make tough Yes or No Decisions: The world is full of Gray. Effective people know when to stop assessing and make a tough call, even without total information.
- Execute- The ability to get job done: You can have positive energy, and energize every one and all other above-mentions characteristics, and still not get over the finish line.Being able to execute is a distinct skill. It means a person knows how to put decisions into actions and take it forward and over to the finish line and ensure timely completion.
Well, above is what I have learned, observed, practices and solidified as knowledge after decades of my professional live and practice. Many other practitioners and professional might have different frame works but the fundamentals remain the same.
Happy Job Hunting !!
