In the last month, just days apart, I received two e-mails from well-known management advisors I regularly follow. One e-mail was headlined: “Never ASSUME While Selling," the other: “Careful, Making Assumptions Is Costly." One of the articles immediately went to the cliché "Never Assume (ASS-U-ME) because when you do you make an ASS of U and ME." The other chided: “Assumptions. Not very productive, are they? They can lead to negative emotions, relational pain, and strife that never need to happen."
Related: How 4 Words Control Your Career Decisions
Authors who caution that one should not (or “never") make assumptions always use good examples of incorrect assumptions. What's missed here is that in a very real world where the future is unknown, the need to make assumptions is both important and unavoidable.
Several years ago, I drafted a list of the “Ten Dumbest Things Managers Say." It was part of a management training program, maybe an idea for a book. The “assume" cliché was always a candidate for the top three on the list, along with illogical statements like “If he (she) didn't understand what to do, he (she) should have asked." I've always found it easy to refute the “never assume" argument.
Most of what all of us do every given day is done based on the valid assumption that we'll be alive for another day.
We plan, exercise, save, and more based on the assumption that we'll be alive – and well – for a future.
The better view of making assumptions is clear.
Making assumptions is a necessary part of our daily lives and careers.
Awareness of the assumptions we make on a daily basis is critical.
For complex decisions, like a career choice, clarifying assumptions is a critical part of the decision process.
Reality
You will regularly make decisions based on assumptions that are wrong. Hopefully, a much bigger percentage of the decisions you make will be based on correct assumptions. Either way, there's always going to be the risk of an unknown future. Some of the incorrect assumptions will be minor, for example, you'll order something at a restaurant that you'll “assume" you'll enjoy, but it completely fails to meet your expectations." Other assumptions you make will turn out incorrect even if you've done a good job of asking questions and researching information about a company – or a job.
From a career perspective, you'll accept a job offer – most likely – based on incomplete information.
You'll be assuming the company making the offer is a) going to honor that offer when you accept it, b) has accurately described the expectations of the job, and c) is going to be in business for the foreseeable future of your career. Interestingly there are numerous examples of the first two of those assumptions being very, very incorrect.
You'll report to work today assuming a) that your office heating or air conditioning is working and b) that your co-workers will complete their work responsibly, and so on.
Asking Questions
The author arguing for “never assume" points out that asking questions to clarify information is a critical skill. Absolutely correct but it's impossible to ask questions that will clarify everything – again about an unknown future. Using the simple restaurant example, I can ask the server about customers' reactions to their “specialty;" I can ask about the qualifications of the chef; I can even check the online reviews. Despite this plethora of information, I can still be disappointed because I'm assuming this information means the meal will meet my personal tastes.
In the career world, I can ask questions about the position, about the company. I can question the hiring manager, and hopefully my potential new boss, about his or her expectations for my performance. I can ask about the “culture" of the company. Yet, there's overwhelming evidence that these answers often do not meet the realities of the workplace.
Questions can significantly minimize the risks of making assumptions – but they cannot eliminate them.
“Don't Assume" Scares
Advising people to “never assume" or “just stop assuming" mentally freezes people from an essential part of decision-making. It might even scare someone into inaction until “all" information is available – an impossible situation.
Similarly, presenting this problem as “What assumption did you make that you now regret?" is one-sided. We can all answer that question, as noted above, with examples. But what about “What assumption did you make that you now applaud?" I was faced with a major career decision many years ago. I was offered a new position, relatively undefined, with an organization that was going to require a significant commute, a possible relocation. Plus, I was advised by someone who knew the organization well, who'd recommended me for the position, to proceed “with caution." I made several assumptions about the position – and accepted it. The biggest assumption was assuming my former boss's advice was true. In six months, the organization made a drastic strategic change, eliminating my new position. But the assumptions I made protected my consulting business and several aspects of my personal life.
Conclusion
Interestingly, both articles that condemned making assumptions with “don't" and “never" concluded by pointing out that in the first case, the author “assumes" you'll follow his advice and the second that you'll read the article. The advice on the dangers, benefits, and necessity of making assumptions would be better if the “don't" and “never" weren't stated so strongly.
Disclosure: This post is sponsored by a Work It Daily-approved expert.
Is your job search turning into a grind with no end in sight? It may be time to take a step back and reevaluate your entire approach.
In cold weather climates, the beginning of spring is a time to clean the house and get organized—a practice known as spring cleaning. Through the years, spring cleaning has taken on a larger meaning with people using the time to organize and declutter things in their lives.
For professionals on the job hunt, a little spring cleaning (metaphorically speaking) could be a great way to reinvigorate your job search. Here are a few strategies your job search spring cleaning should include.
Reevaluate Your Job Search Approach
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Make a list of the last handful of jobs you applied for and see if you can identify any positive or negative trends. Consider things like:
How did I learn about this job?
How did I apply for the job?
Did I earn an interview?
What was the ultimate result?
A lot can be learned about your job search approach just by answering these questions and identifying patterns. For example:
Negative Trends
You discovered five jobs through job boards, applied to all of them via the job boards, and never heard back from any of them.
The common pattern here is applying through job boards. This isn't to say that job boards don't serve a purpose in the job search process, but they have their limitations, and you can't run your job search entirely off of them. When you apply through a job board, there's a good chance that your materials will never get past the applicant tracking system (ATS) and never be seen by an actual person.
One simple fix is to research who the hiring manager or recruiter is that posted the position and email your materials to them directly.
The more efficient fix would be to take a proactive approach by putting together a bucket list of companies that you want to work for and start making connections on LinkedIn with people who work at those companies. You may already know some people who work there or have connections that can refer you to some individuals.
This is a great way to network your way onto a company's radar.
Positive Trends
You applied to three jobs via referral, were invited to two job interviews, and made it through multiple rounds of interviews for one of the jobs before being passed over for someone with a little more experience.
The pattern here is that getting referred to a job by a professional acquaintance is a great way to land a job interview. This indicates that you're leveraging your network well and you should continue to focus on your networking efforts.
The next step is to review the interview process and determine what went well and what needs to be improved. Sometimes the interviewer will provide feedback, and that feedback can be valuable. However, not everyone is comfortable with giving feedback.
Chances are you probably have a good idea about areas of improvement and the skills you need to gain. Put together a plan for addressing those shortfalls.
The good news in making it deep into any interview process is that it indicates that the company likes you as a potential employee (even if the timing just wasn't right) and the experience could be a roadmap to a job with that company at a later date, or another similar opportunity elsewhere.
Give Your Resume & Cover Letter Some Much-Needed Attention
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Are you continuously sending similar resumes and cover letters to each job opening with only minor adjustments? If so, your strategy needs some serious spring cleaning.
The reason why it's so important to tailor your resume is that throughout your career, you acquire numerous skills, but the job you're applying for may only be focusing on 6-8 of those skills. In that case, those skills must rise to the top of the resume with quantifiable examples of how you successfully used those skills at previous jobs.
Remember, recruiters go through hundreds of resumes. They need to be able to tell from a quick glance whether or not you're a potential candidate for the position.
While updating your resume, you could also spruce up your LinkedIn profile by highlighting the skill sets that you want to be noticed for by recruiters.
As for writing a good cover letter, the key to success is writing a disruptive cover letter. When you write a disruptive cover letter, you're basically telling a story. The story should focus on how you connect with the particular company and job position. The story could also focus on your personal journey, and how you got to where you currently are in your career.
If your resumes and cover letters aren't unique, now is the time to clean things up and get on track.
Build Your Personal Brand
Just because you're looking for work doesn't mean that you don't have anything to offer. Use previous career experiences and passions to build your personal brand.
Ask yourself, "How do I want other professionals to view me?"
Pick an area of expertise and start sharing your knowledge and experience with your professional network by pushing out content on your LinkedIn and social media accounts. Good content can include blogs, social media posts, and videos.
By sharing content about your experiences and passions, you slowly build your personal brand, and others will start to notice. The content could lead to good discussions with others in your network. It could also lead to reconnecting with connections that you haven't spoken to in years, or making new connections.
You never know when one of these connections could turn into a job lead or referral. The trick is to get on people's radars. So, when you're cleaning up your job search, be sure to build a plan for personal branding.
Maintain Healthy Habits During Your Job Search
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Your job search is important, but it's even more important to know when to pull back and focus on personal health and spending time with family and friends.
There are actually things that you can do for your own enjoyment that could help your job search in the long run, such as:
Grab coffee with a friend - It's good to engage in light conversation with friends during challenging times. And if your job search does come up, remember that most people have been through it themselves and you never know when a friend may provide you with a good idea or lead on a job.
Volunteer - Volunteering is a great way to get involved in the community and help others. In addition, if you develop a little bit of a career gap while looking for a job, you can always talk about how you filled that time volunteering, if you're asked about it during a job interview.
Continue to focus on other passions - Are you a fitness nut? Blogger? Crafter? Continue to do the things that bring you happiness. And if you're in a position to profit from your passion through a freelance job or side hustle, even better!
Spring is the perfect time to clean up and improve your job search so you can land the job you want. If you're struggling to find a job, follow the tips above to reinvigorate your job search—and watch your career blossom!
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This article was originally published at an earlier date.
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