Job Hunting Guide

Jan

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THE JOB HUNT GAME

BY MIKE RAMEY

One of my favorite movies is Spy Game staring Robert Redford and Brad Pitt. The most telling illustration for my column is the following slogan from the cover of the soundtrack: “It’s not how you play the GAME…it’s how the game plays YOU.”

Hunting for a job is rough, time-consuming and pressure-packed process. Nevertheless- -when you boil it down–the job hunting process is a game. How well you play it will determine your future economic success. Of course, this game has rules (like most games do), and the rules are meant to be obeyed whether they are written or unwritten. For this month, we’re going to hit on some of the basic rules and discuss how to play the game and keeping your sanity while job hunting in a tight, recession-laden economy.

You may be asking yourself why such an article is needed. Simply stated, it has to do with some of the business articles I’ve been reading–including articles by and about people of color who are out on the job hunt.

Brothers, this is NOT the first recession that this country has been through. News flash? It will NOT be the last recession, depression or job slowdown you will see. As the `old folks’ used to say: “Just keep on LIVING and LEARN your lessons WELL!”

BE YOURSELF THROUGOUT THE PROCESS:

IF some of those articles are to be believed, we are being told that it is `safer’ to `ditch’ your `cultural heritage’ (including non-traditional sounding names, group/association memberships, etc.) in order to `hide’ your skin color and win a job.

Balderdash! If I would have to deny or change who I am before applying for a job, would it be a job worth having? Thirty pieces of silver put Jesus Christ on the cross. Sacrificing your self worth and/or culture for a paycheck is the blast that won’t last.

One of the first rules of the job hunt game is to be who you are. The successful are happy with whom they are–and it translates to solid applications, great interviews and qualified employees. Furthermore, IF you are a Christian, you should not lie on a job application, in an interview or any business deal.

The important thing: BE you…and be the best you that you can be!

FAILURE CAN HAPPEN IN THE JOB HUNT GAME:

The next rule is simple and should never be underestimated: “Life is NOT fair!” There are people who are under qualified and overqualified who manage to get hired BEFORE you do, and it just does not seem fair. It may seem like the race course may be rigged…but just keep on doing what you know how to do. Check the job blogs, mail out the resumes, pound the pavement and contact companies that fit into your employment plan. As one wise sage told me years ago: “A setback is a set-up for a comeback!”

Failure is as much a part of life as are breathing, heartbreak, death and taxes.

A few years back, John C. Maxwell penned a book on the subject is failure. Entitled: “Failing Forward: Turning Mistakes Into Stepping Stones For Success,” this work should become mandatory reading for job seekers. To paraphrase: Many of the successful people of today `failed’ in one (or more) ventures yesterday–and could fail tomorrow.

They won’t roll over and quit! The successful are persistent and KNOW that one must stay in the and play the game until you net that win!