By: Maurice Gilbert
The job search can be frustrating and tedious. Or it can be exciting and rewarding. Whichever camp yours lands in is partly a matter of attitude and partly a matter of approach.
Recruiter.com offers six tips for struggling job seekers, taken straight from the adventures of Indiana Jones:
Exude Confidence. Self confidence can carry you far. In the face of seemingly insurmountable odds, professor Jones never faltered. A self-assured applicant conveys her capabilities on the resume differently than one whose confidence is shot. Similarly, interviewees who believe in themselves and their strengths and abilities perform entirely differently than those who doubt themselves. Confidence opens doors, where doubt closes them.
Pay Close Attention. By following clues others had missed, Dr. Jones was able to discover the location of the lost ark. Read job descriptions and instructions carefully (you might be among the few who do) and put as much care into how you draft your resumes and cover letters. Even small mistakes – misspellings, inconsistencies – can hurt your chances of landing the job when other applicants have comparable experience and tidier documents.
Balance Education and Experience. This principle is particularly applicable if you’re a new grad or are about to graduate. Your degree will likely be one of your best selling points as you are unlikely to have much relevant experience early in your career. Make sure to highlight what you do have, however. Volunteering, internships and even extracurricular activities can be portrayed to emphasize transferrable skills. Directors made a point of showing Indiana in the classroom and in the field. Both elements matter.
Face Your Fears. For Indy, it was snakes. It always had to be snakes. The process of finding a job can be scary from start to finish for a lot of job seekers. Interviews are intimidating. Networking is challenging. The possibility of rejection is ever present. But there’s no way to your final destination (employment!) than through those fears.
When Planning Fails, Improvise. As it happens, that infamous scene where the crowd in the Cairo market parts to reveal a sword-wielding thug wasn’t scripted the way it was shot. Harrison Ford was ill and run down and, faced with the prospect of shooting a lengthy sword fight, he weighed his options and opted for plan B. When an opportunity arises that you hadn’t planned for, don’t be afraid to go with it.
Partner Up. The films might have been much less interesting if Indiana Jones’ adventures happened solo. Much of his successes, in fact, came about because he had partners in the wings. Short Round, Marcus Brody and his dad, Henry Jones, played integral roles in Dr. Jones’ successes. Make sure you have a network of sidekicks and mentors to provide support throughout your career.
Maurice Gilbert is Managing Partner of Conselium Executive Search which specializes in placing Compliance Officers and Regulatory Counsel for clients in the U.S., Europe, Latin America and Asia Pacific. Maurice can be reached at www.conselium.com or maurice@conselium.com.
