Break the Rules or Change the Game?

This month’s Career Collective topic is Job-hunting “Rules” to Break/ Outdated Job-Search Beliefs.

When I saw this month’s topic, my first thought was, "Wow. Easy topic." There are lots of rules that I think people should break, and there are lots of outdated job search beliefs. Yet, there is a larger truth that we all need to face, and it’s this: Job search is as much art as it is science. For example, whether you should have a one-page resume or a two pager is going to depend on a myriad of circumstances that you’ll need to figure out. Sixty-second, thirty-second, … or no elevator pitch? Who knows? Only you can decide what’ll work best, based on your specific situation!

If you are facing the very real need to find new employment, then you need to figure out what works for you and what doesn’t. And you need to find that out quickly. Yet, whether you’re in active job search or not, what you truly need to consider is stepping out of the traditional career management model and changing your game to a longer-term career management strategy that relies on:

Differentiated Value.

It’s really not enough to define yourself in terms of a job title. Doing so merely makes you a commodity. Frankly, an accountant is an accountant is an accountant. If that’s all you tell others, you only give them a reason to ignore you. On the other hand, if you say you offer tax and financial advice to women entrepreneurs who want to have fun while becoming successful, you’ve made yourself stand out.

Authentic Story.

Of course you know you should have a personal brand. Maybe you even have a branded resume, bio, or online profile that reflects a unique promise of value. But how will people be able to see that the value you deliver is truly differentiated and authentic?

One way, is to document it in a career story that shows how you came to be good at doing what you do, and at serving the audience you serve. For example, if you are a sales and marketing strategist who is skilled at turning outsiders into insiders, then that ability should be grounded in your career/life journey backstory. If it is, you’ll be much more credible, and differentiated with a story only you can own.

Brand Community.

We all need a network, right?  And if you’re in job search, you’re probably actively building one. But what happens when you land a job? Do you, like many people who are working, put focus on the work at hand, forgetting about the people who helped get where you are? If yes, you’re making a big mistake. In today’s world, where jobs are just another gig, and the next opportunity is likely to emerge from a trusted network, staying connected is a career lifeline.

Changing the game is not easy. But it’s increasingly necessary.

If you remain mired in the traditional job-search model to manage your career, you may find moving ahead increasingly difficult. Instead, you need to stop being a job seeker, and start generating opportunities by becoming a trust agent connected to a trusted network that will turn to you the next time someone wants to find a professional who can do what you do.

What did other Career Collective members have to say? Here are links to their posts:

Juice Up Your Job Search, @debrawheatman

It's not your age, it's old thinking, @GayleHoward

Want a Job? Ignore these outdated job search beliefs @erinkennedycprw

Job Search Then and Now, @MartinBuckland @EliteResumes

The New: From The Employer's-Eye View, @ResumeService

Job Search: Breakable Rules and Outdated Beliefs, @KatCareerGal

Job Hunting Rules to Break (Or Why and How to Crowd Your Shadow), @chandlee @StartWire,

Shades of Gray, @DawnBugni

3 Rules That Are Worth Your Push-Back, @WorkWithIllness

Your Photo on LinkedIn - Breaking a Cardinal Job Search Rule? @KCCareerCoach

How to find a job: stop competing and start excelling, @Keppie_Careers

Be You-Nique: Resume Writing Rules to Break, @ValueIntoWords

Modernizing Your Job Search, @LaurieBerenson

Don't Get Caught With an Old School Resume, @barbarasafani

How Breaking the Rules Will Help You in Your Job Search, @expatcoachmegan

Beat the Job-Search-Is-a-Numbers-Game Myth, @JobHuntOrg

25 Habits to Break if You Want a Job, @CareerSherpa

 

Comments

[Gayle M. Howard]

Great advice Walter. I always find your articles spot on and a source of great inspiration. Your clients are lucky to have you! So true too... clinging to yesterday does not forge a path for a jobseeker today. The world is entirely different place than it was even just five years ago!

[Megan Fitzgerald]

Great post Walter! Indeed the rules of the career management game have changed and there are no cookie cutter solutions. Make sure your differentiated story is told online and off is so critical to a successful job search.

It's great to be a part of this wise group of career professionals!

Megan

[Career Sherpa]

Walter,
I always enjoy reading your posts!
You are a model for staying true to your unique value and brand.
Differentiating ourselves and being memorable through our stories is so powerful!
That infamous "they" is always saying, Rules were meant to be broken! Cheers to rule breaking those things that aren't working!

[Walter Akana]

Thanks for your kind words, Gayle!

I try to think about our topics in the broader context of career management. If they are on target an inspiring, I guess that’s a bonus. In fact, there still lots of tactics for job search that remain mostly the same. For example, if you’re looking for a job, you still need a resume.

Yet, the broader context of career management has changed dramatically! And it requires more. Today, even if you have a job, you need to be mindful of showing your value and authenticating it via story and brand community, both on line and off!

It truly is a different world!

[Walter Akana]

As a Reach colleague, you're well versed in the advantage a clearly developed and communicated personal brand is in driving success. We have long pushed beyond cookie cutter…especially in your work with Expats.

Still, I think we’re entering a time when it will be increasingly critical to have an authentic story to validate your brand and deep roots in a brand community that will both seek you out and recommend you to others!

We live in challenging, yet exciting times!

[Walter Akana]

Thanks, Hannah! I’m glad you enjoy my posts! I enjoy yours too, so it really works out great, doesn’t it?!

Interesting that you say I model my unique brand! I do write from a perspective of being highly self-directed and owning your life! So, yes, I’ve been kind of a rule breaker myself.

Yet, I think we have come into times when managing one’s career requires that kind of ownership as never before. Success increasingly requires breaking a few rules, or in many cases, breaking them sufficiently to change the game completely.

And by changing the game, I mean it mainly in the sense that Chris Brogan and Julien describe it in “Trust Agents.” That is, figure out who (or what) the gatekeepers are and develop the kind of upstart strategy that will make them, and their rules, irrelevant.

How to start?

Well, let’s put it this way: The ultimate act of revolution is to think for yourself!

[Dawn Bugni]

Walter -

Great information. I especially like the reminder to cultivate a robust network throughout a career; not just in job search. Too frequently I see job seekers define networking as "getting someone to help them find a job." NOTHING could be further from the truth. A network, cultivated throughout a career, can provide professional growth and personal guidance at every stage of an individual's life. We'd all benefit if we thought of networking as staying in touch with interesting people and friends, instead of viewing it as "something to do."

Wonderful post. Thanks for sharing!

[Walter Akana]

Thanks, Dawn! I really appreciate your great comments.

You're absolutely right about cultivating a networking as an ongoing source of both professional and personal growth over a lifetime! And actually there is great research on development networks that bears this out (see, for example, the work of Dawn Chandler: http://bit.ly/geBn1m ).

Not only is it a development issue, but also opportunities seem to find their ways to people who are part of trusted networks. Ultimately, though, I think success and satisfaction is the best reward for belonging.

[Michael Dvorscak]

Currently, I am job hunter looking for a position where my qualifications (Performance Improvement and Training/Development) can be an asset. This is great advice and inspiration to take a few steps out of the box. Thanks.

[Walter Akana]

Hey Michael!

Thanks for your comment. I appreciate your kind words!

Having once been in corporate training, I know that you have the right skills to help companies make a new game!

Best wishes on your job search!