Back to Basics – The answer to Job Search Success

I’m often struck by how complex people make things. What can be a simple process turns into an elaborate methodology, which turns into a list a ‘mile high’ of what needs to be done, to accomplish a task or project. When confronted with this list, it can be daunting and frustrating and as a result, we procrastinate, worry, or just throw it into the too hard basket.

The same can be said about finding a job. I mean, what is pretty straight forward, is currently turned in a comprehensive list of what you should, or should not do.

• Complex rules on a length of a resume, what should, or shouldn’t be included, whether a specific font should be utilised and whether it is OK to use more than one font, or even a border.
• Elaborate rules on networking – from how to dress through to how you are supposed to converse at a networking event or situation.
• Endless rules about what you need to avoid in a job interview.
• Rules as to when you should start a job search.
• Rules on how to identify your unique brand and reflect this across multiple online forums

The list goes on and on and on…

If you look at Amazon, there are currently 22,086 books on Job Hunting & Career Guides, with 12,357 of these books, dedicated to job-hunting alone. That’s right, 12,357 books on job-hunting.

And this got me thinking. Are we making the job search process, more complex than it really is? Have we lost sight of the BASICS? Is all this complexity really necessary to succeed?

My opinion is that job hunting comes down to just 2 basic principles you need to understand, and so long as your understanding of these principles is reflected in everything you do, you will be way ahead of most job seekers. These 2 basics as I see it are:

• Employers fear
• WIFM (the what’s in it for me principle)

Let me explain:

Employers fear

Did you know that the cost of a bad hire for employers is estimated to be 5 times your salary? Employers dread recruitment, as they understand implicitly that the wrong person on their team, or the right person in the wrong job, is DEADLY. Employers have such a fear of making a wrong decision, that they hire recruiters to find the perfect match, spend money on elaborate hiring processes and prefer to hire people that they know and trust.

Because employers fear above all else a bad hire, of course they are not going to make life easy for you – they are operating on the planet of ‘fear’.

On the other hand, you are operating on a different type of fear altogether – the fear of not meeting mortgage payments, or hopping into a toxic workplace culture. You might also be operating with a sense of entitlement, of what can you offer me, what salary, what perks, what holidays. Talk about a clash in attitudes that is going to result in failure.

So, back to basics – your guiding principle in all aspects of your job search is to alleviate the employer’s fear. A couple of examples:

• Turning up on time at a job interview (if you are late, they are going to fearful that you are a real dud).
• Going the extra mile to show them that you are really keen about the job –e.g. a thank you note after interview. (If you don’t, they might fear that you just want the pay cheque and are not that interested in their organisation, or the job).

I’m sure you get my drift?   If you understand this principle, you will alter the way you conduct yourself during the entire job search process.

WIFM (what’s in it for me)

I’ve talked about this principle a few times, but in a nutshell it is about understanding that the employer does not give a toss about you (really), but will bend over backwards if they think you are the solution to their problem.

You see the employer is only interested in what’s in it for me (WIFM). As a hire, you are simply fulfilling a need or alleviating a problem of the employer, whether the employer needs staff to make more money, save money, save time, make work easier, solve specific problems, ensure that they are more competitive, fulfill their statutory obligations, expand the business, gain and retain more customers (the list goes on).

Conversely as a job hunter you are so tied up with what you do, you are not specifically addressing the exact needs of the employer.

So, back to basics again – your second guiding principle in all aspects of your job search is to ensure that you meet the exact needs of the employer. A couple of examples:

• Tailoring a cover letter, that addresses the specifics of job advertisement.
• Finding out about their specific requirements during the job interview and providing evidence that you can fulfil those needs.
• Only applying for jobs you are qualified for (meeting the employer needs).
• Listing achievements on your resume, to show the employer the benefits you can bring to their organisation with tangible evidence that you can greatly assist them.

By understanding these 2 basic guiding principles and applying them to everything you do when finding a new job, you will ultimately succeed.