I’m a huge fan of the TED Talks and this one by educator, Diana Laufenberg immediately got me thinking. In it, she highlights how we’ve become obsessed with having ‘one right answer’ and the concept of rewarding those who strive to always be correct. The result: A failure to learn – isn’t that ironic?
I could not agree more with her thinking on experiential learning and the need to embrace failure as a way to educate. Her talk made me wonder, “How many struggling, dissatisfied professionals out there are stalled because they’re trying too hard to avoid failure?”
As adult learners, I believe our ability to embrace failing as a way to learn is squelched by our pride to look ‘smart’ and to be ‘right.’ My own personal experience as a career educator has proven to me that it’s not until people are in acute pain and feeling total failure that they finally ask for professional help. As tough as it is, failure motivates us to learn and grow!
One ‘Failure’ Success Story
Recently, a member of our Career HMO wanted some coaching on how to reach out to a stranger on LinkedIn to request an informational interview. We have lots of video tutorials and articles on the subject inside our program, but we also encourage members to send us a draft initially of the template they are using when sending a request so we can help them make sure it is a balance of both personal (to get the person’s interest) and professional (to get the stranger to feel we are worthy of connecting with). This member was eager to get going and felt he understood the concept well enough he sent his e-mail to someone without first having a career coach review it. The result was an unpleasant response from the person he sent it to, a.k.a. he failed.
Now, had he not been a member of our Career HMO, he could have easily given up and decided this was a terrible way to network. Instead, he sent me his initial e-mail request and we discussed where it missed the mark. He immediately saw how it needed to be changed so it got a better reaction and put the new template to use. The very next attempt resulted in something incredible: Not only did the stranger reply positively, but he offered extensive information and guidance to help our Career HMO member connect with some people in the industry he is trying to break into. His small failure, coupled with instant feedback to help him learn from it taught him so much – and now he is on his way to expanding his network with confidence.
For those of you who haven’t realized the power of failure, I hope this post inspires you to fail more! And for those of you who don’t know what a Career HMO is, I encourage you to come check it out. We’ll show you how to take all that failure and put it to good use!
Anybody else have thoughts on the need to fail more to find the professional success we desire?
Photo credit: Shutterstock
The leaves are changing, the kids are back in school, and that familiar chill is in the air. You think it's the perfect time to look for a job, and it is! But are your job search fears preventing you from making that leap?
It's not uncommon to feel lost when embarking on your job search journey. After all, school teaches us everything except how to get a job. What should you put on your resume? What questions should you ask in an interview? How can you stand out in the hiring process when there's so much competition?
Are you feeling spooked yet?
Believe it or not, there's no need to be afraid of the job search process! You can land your dream job with the right tools and strategy. You can find a job that won't give you nightmares. Here are three spooky secrets every job seeker should know as they look for a job this fall.
1. An Effective Job Search Starts With An Interview Bucket List
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Despite your fears, you've decided to take the plunge and look for a new job. You might be asking yourself, "Where do I start?" The answer is simple: start by creating an interview bucket list.
An interview bucket list is a list of 10-20 companies you'd love to work for. Are you passionate about a company's products or services? Do you feel connected to its mission? Can you relate to its values and beliefs as an organization? If you answer "yes" to any of these questions, that company probably belongs on your interview bucket list.
Once you create an interview bucket list, you'll be able to conduct a targeted job search, one with direction and a foundation upon which everything else will be built. An interview bucket list helps you focus your job search and networking strategies on the right opportunities, making it easier to get your foot in the door at one of your dream companies.
2. Your Job Application Needs To Disrupt Hiring Managers
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In order to stand out in the hiring process, you need to disrupt recruiters and hiring managers. You accomplish this by doing two things: optimizing your resume and writing a disruptive cover letter.
A well-optimized resume includes keywords from the job description. This ensures your resume gets past the ATS and into the hands of the hiring manager. Once it's in front of the hiring manager, it needs to grab and keep their attention. Quantifying your work experience—adding numbers to your bullet points—will make you stand out from other applicants. Hiring managers will want to know more about you and your accomplishments, and that's how you land a phone interview.
Before that, though, a hiring manager will read your cover letter. To disrupt them, you need to write a disruptive cover letter (obviously!). A disruptive cover letter gives you the opportunity to tell a story about why you feel connected to the company you're applying for. It's that storytelling aspect that will stand out to hiring managers and compel them to pick up the phone and give you a call.
3. Employers Hire You Based On 3 Things
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You can't get hired unless you know what employers are assessing you on in the interview process. While your skills and expertise matter, companies actually hire for three things: personality, aptitude, and experience (in that order).
Most job seekers don't realize how important it is to demonstrate their personality, aptitude, and experience in an interview. You could have the right experience for a job, but if the hiring manager doesn't think your personality is a good fit for the company culture, you probably won't get a job offer.
Make sure you demonstrate your soft skills and learn how to answer behavioral interview questions to prove you're the best candidate for the job you're applying for, not just the most qualified.
Want To Learn More Job Search Secrets?
As you look for a job this fall, it might be helpful to know some more spooky secrets so you can get over your job search fears and finally take control of your career.
We know the job search process can be scary. However, it's important to get clear on what you want to do next and focus on conducting a strategic job search, or what we refer to at Work It DAILY as job shopping. This is the only way to effectively market yourself to employers. If they can't see exactly where and how you add value, then that's going to decrease your chances of landing the job.
The competition is fierce, and there are a lot of factors that are out of your control. But the one factor you can control is your job search strategy, the tools and tactics you use to land a job.
If you want to learn the secrets to conducting a strategic job search, sign up for our Job Search Bootcamp, a two-hour, on-demand video workshop that comes with a free workbook.
In this video workshop, you'll learn:
How to use backchanneling to get directly to hiring managers.
The secret to using a connection story to stand out against the competition.
How social media can be your secret weapon to get job interviews.
The resume format that is getting job seekers more job interviews.
I’m a huge fan of the TED Talks and this one by educator, Diana Laufenberg immediately got me thinking. In it, she highlights how we’ve become obsessed with having ‘one right answer’ and the concept of rewarding those who strive to always be correct. The result: A failure to learn – isn’t that ironic?
I could not agree more with her thinking on experiential learning and the need to embrace failure as a way to educate. Her talk made me wonder, “How many struggling, dissatisfied professionals out there are stalled because they’re trying too hard to avoid failure?”
As adult learners, I believe our ability to embrace failing as a way to learn is squelched by our pride to look ‘smart’ and to be ‘right.’ My own personal experience as a career educator has proven to me that it’s not until people are in acute pain and feeling total failure that they finally ask for professional help. As tough as it is, failure motivates us to learn and grow!
One ‘Failure’ Success Story
Recently, a member of our Career HMO wanted some coaching on how to reach out to a stranger on LinkedIn to request an informational interview. We have lots of video tutorials and articles on the subject inside our program, but we also encourage members to send us a draft initially of the template they are using when sending a request so we can help them make sure it is a balance of both personal (to get the person’s interest) and professional (to get the stranger to feel we are worthy of connecting with). This member was eager to get going and felt he understood the concept well enough he sent his e-mail to someone without first having a career coach review it. The result was an unpleasant response from the person he sent it to, a.k.a. he failed.
Now, had he not been a member of our Career HMO, he could have easily given up and decided this was a terrible way to network. Instead, he sent me his initial e-mail request and we discussed where it missed the mark. He immediately saw how it needed to be changed so it got a better reaction and put the new template to use. The very next attempt resulted in something incredible: Not only did the stranger reply positively, but he offered extensive information and guidance to help our Career HMO member connect with some people in the industry he is trying to break into. His small failure, coupled with instant feedback to help him learn from it taught him so much – and now he is on his way to expanding his network with confidence.
For those of you who haven’t realized the power of failure, I hope this post inspires you to fail more! And for those of you who don’t know what a Career HMO is, I encourage you to come check it out. We’ll show you how to take all that failure and put it to good use!
Anybody else have thoughts on the need to fail more to find the professional success we desire?
Photo credit: Shutterstock
