The Pursuit of Employment

I am watching the movie The Pursuit of Happiness with Will Smith. He is sitting in front of a group of business men in an interview. And he is not dressed appropriately. He spent the night in jail and ran all the way to the interview just to be on time. He has paint in his hair, a t-shirt on and a dirty jacket that won’t zip up. In the world of movies he might just get the job. In the real world, it would be difficult to believe that he might actually be considered for the position. It’s possible but not probable in the real world. There’s a commercial break so I don’t know the outcome yet. but that’s okay for the purposes of this post. I don’t need the outcome of the movie. I am impressed by his passion, his persistence, and his willingness to tell the truth about why he is not dressed appropriately for the interview.

Here’s the thing – he has differentiated himself from every other candidate. He is willing to do whatever it takes to get an internship that has no salary and no guarantees of employment – in his pursuit of employment. What are you willing to do in your pursuit of employment? And what price are you willing to pay to have it? Too many people are struggling in their job search, frustrated, scared, angry. Those emotions or feelings will not move you forward in your pursuit of employment. You have to get past the negative emotions and decide first what you want, and then decide that nothing will stop you from getting the job you want.

In the pursuit of employment in this market it is going to take persistence, clarity, focus, determination and a willingness to differentiate your self from the competition. Take time to become an expert on who you are and what you can bring to an organization. Look for ways to communicate your skills, connect with your network and use them to help bridge you into organizations. If you can avoid traditional access points in – sending a resume and cover letter, you will find more success. Networking is one critical key to successful pursuit of employment. But beyond networking, your pursuit of employment will lead to a job offer if you can identify organizational problems that you can provide solutions to. If you are a savvy problem solver, you will find that the window for your pursuit of employment will decrease.

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