Imagine that you’re entering the dating scene.
You’ve learned a lot from your previous relationship and have worked hard at figuring out what your needs are. You might even have done some work on yourself. (insert your version of GTL here.)
You sign up for OkCupid, decide on your mate search parameters, and immediately, you have 25 people that you could go on a date with.
From an employer’s point of view, the applicant hunt is very much similar to the dating scene. Finding a qualified candidate is never the issue. It’s the non-resume intangibles that they’re really trying to fill.
Let’s go back to the dating scene.
You’ve picked your top five potential dates, typed their name in the Google search bar to make sure they’re not felons, sent them a message, maybe chatted on the phone, and pinned down a date and time for the first date. On date day, you put on your most flattering outfit, look up the restaurant on Google Maps to make sure you don’t get lost, and leave extra early so you can be there on time. Doesn’t that sound a lot like getting ready for a job interview?
But when we get to the restaurant, your date isn’t very engaging. They fit in to your search parameters, but the date and the person is missing a little life. Apply that to the job market. Companies qualify job candidates, and the ones that make it to the first interview round meet the search parameters. So, like the first date, the interview is a test of personality and chemistry.
The question is, are you job market dateable?
It can be a difficult idea to apply to yourself, but you wouldn’t date a boring person. You wouldn’t date someone that you wouldn’t be proud to introduce to your friends and family. And like any healthy relationship, you’re looking for someone that’s got passion and their own thing going.
Are you conveying the intangibles during your job interview? Focus on your non-resume intangibles to set you apart. If you think of the job hunt like the dating scene, what non-resume qualities do you bring to the table?
At last month’s Austin Social Media Club, Jon Carroll of Gowalla explained that they look for people that are passionate about something because it helps their company build a community, whatever that passion may be. For Jon, it’s music, and his non-job passion is now part of his job at Gowalla as their Community and Music Manager.
Share what you’re doing to be job market date-worthy below.
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We are very pleased to have this guest post from Katrina Tolentino. As one of the new contributors of the Getting the Gig Linkedin group, Katrina will be sharing perspective from her recent successful job search. She is currently the Marketing Manager for IT Freedom. Follow her on Twitter at @realAustin and let her know what you think by rating and commenting!
What do I wear – What do I bring – Where can I park???
Just a warning – this will be brief. You deserve more (and there will be more) but here’s a taste of the coming months.
