Threshold Consulting: It's Your Life, Own It!

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This month’s Career Collective topic is Job-hunting “Rules” to Break/ Outdated Job-Search Beliefs.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 There are lots of rules that I think people should break, and there are lots of outdated job search beliefs.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.

In 2011, Increase Your Prospects With Better Differentiation

This month’s Career Collective topic is things job seekers should keep an eye on in 2011 (trends/tools/hiring practices). 

Well, it’s that time again! As we put one year behind us and position ourselves for improved fortunes, we look to the experts to give us the edge. A shot at a better career, and a better life. It’s probably why predictions are so popular at the start of each year. But let’s face it. Without a concerted effort to act on your own behalf, what good is all that advice?

Certainly, there are trends that will have a direct impact on your career prospects. For example, as social media continues to grow, employers will rely on it increasingly to source and qualify candidates. Knowing this, it’s likely that you’ve already established an online presence on LinkedIn. But how differentiated is it? Does your profile present you as a plug-and-play candidate, or does it establish you as a truly differentiated and attractive?

Hard to know, right? But knowing is increasingly critical.

In a sea of sameness, only the truly differentiated stand out. It’s as true of job candidates as it is of products. Of course, avoiding the perception of sameness has two broad, though interwoven, requirements: understanding the offering and understanding the market. In managing your career, you are the offering, and your customers are the people you’re most suited to serve.

Like an entrepreneur running a business, you need clarity about these things. In fact, making your career your business begins to drive the process of differentiation. As Pam Slim, author of Escape From Cubicle Nation: From Corporate Prisoner to Thriving Entrepreneur, says"...knowing the fundamentals of how to work for yourself is a core career competency that everybody should really be learning….” That is, you need to be in control of your career. Yet, even if you agree with this perspective, your first order of business is actually not creating a business plan. 

It’s making the choice. 

In his book, Linchpin: Are You Indispensable?, Seth Godin tells the story of Binny Thomas who got a new job without leaving her old one by simply choosing to stand out rather than fit in. According to Godin, one of the most fundamental shifts in our new economy is the role of self-determination. You can no longer make it on connections. Working for the right boss matters little. Even the right background won’t help.

What matters are your internal choices. According to Godin, “How we respond to the opportunities and challenges of the outside world now determines how much the outside world values us.” Yet, this is not solely about what you deliver, but how. It’s about your ability to give generously, to transform others by going beyond the expected. Godin sees this as your artistry.

Artistry, of course, is not something you can get from a “ten tips” in a CareerBuilder article. No, it’s more a product of the deep insights that show you where you’ve been, the choices you’ve made, and what you’ve achieved that makes you the proudest. This is your backstory. Knowing it helps you uncover the themes that will be the most reliable guides to shaping your future. It’s introspective work, and until you do it, you’ll simply not be in the best position to sort out what tools and trends will work best in running your career and making a difference.

Why?

Because if you know what drives you to accomplishment, and for whom, you’re better prepared to stand up and make the choices that matter and pave the way for you to put your own artistry in service to the world.  Not an easy path, for sure. Yet, this kind of differentiation is the price of admission in an increasingly mature marketplace.