Never Apply for a Job Again!: Break the Rules, Cut the Line, Beat the Rest (3 page)

Only 20 to 35 percent of the entire job search spectrum lies within the public-knowledge domain. The rest, 65 to 80 percent, rests in what’s called the “hidden job market.” To take charge of your own career, and not rely on the whims of the market or other folks to do it for you, you must learn to tap into this hidden market—not just for your next job, but for life. In any economy, the person who knows how to
connect with unadvertised, behind-the-scenes opportunities through building relationships will
always
come out on top. This book,
Never Apply for a Job Again!,
will assist you in doing just that.

Please note that if you replace the word
job
in the previous paragraph with the words
entrepreneurial opportunity
or
new client
, you’ll realize that this method applies just as well to these ventures…because it’s all just a “job” in one way or another. The point is, pursuing new clients or opportunities in the same way everyone else does is predictable, recognizable, and filterable. You’ll want to use this same stealth approach to create many more career openings in those areas also. So, anywhere in this book that you see the word
job
, simply make that replacement.

In these pages, I will offer you the insight, philosophy, and instructions that I’ve provided for thousands of clients throughout my 25 years in the career coaching and recruiting business. You’ll learn how to be in command of your own job search or other career movement through developing and maintaining professional relationships. Therefore, your “security” will no longer be dependent on any particular employer, recruiter, or even field, but will be placed firmly into your own hands.

I will first share with you the dirty truths about job-seeking from both overt and stealth perspectives, so that you are thoroughly convinced of the near senselessness of responding to ads. I will then show you how to effectively tap into the hidden job market through building connections with others—people you already know, as well as those you don’t.

I’ll have to alter your thinking first, so that you embody the necessary mindset to authentically create stealth relationships. But after a thorough brainwashing of your desperation and neediness, I’ll show you specifically how to form these bonds, how to go from being a complete unknown to folks in positions of knowledge, power, and influence, all the way to becoming a connected and top-of-mind acquaintance—even colleague!

“The most effective career-enhancement tool since humans arrived on the planet: the good opinion and favor of others.”

Why to connect, whom to connect to, how to contact, where to meet, how to conduct the conversations, and the entire mechanics of maintaining the relationship after initial contact: I’ll cover all of this and more to ensure that you can begin utilizing the most effective career enhancement tool since humans arrived on the planet: the good opinion and favor of others.

I am committed that, once and for all, you see that you can be in charge at all times of your own career movement. In empowering you to do so, my own life purpose of ensuring that people experience aliveness and freedom to create inspired new futures is satisfied. We’ve got this one life, and we spend one-third to half of our waking hours working. Let’s make it count—for us, and for our world.

T
HE
L
ITTLE
B
IT
E
XTRA
… T
HAT
M
AKES A
W
ORLD OF
D
IFFERENCE

Are you willing to believe that this little book can open up something completely new as possible in your career life?
Are you willing to have it not just be another tome of good ideas, most of which exit your mind as soon as you put it away?

I believe that the intention you include with the time you take to read and engage in this process will make all the difference in the world. For example, how many times do you read a book that has sections of questions for you to answer…but you don’t answer them? How many helpful guides have given you an exercise to practice so that you can gain a new understanding of something…but you skip over it? The reason that coaching and consulting are such big businesses today is that, left to our own devices, we often don’t put in that little bit extra that we would if we were face-to-face, in front of our coach, doing the tasks we’re given!

Look, you can’t expect to learn something without practicing, and you can’t put sentences together until you’ve learned and rehearsed your ABCs. Therefore, I ask you (for your sake, not mine) to offer a really high intention as you move forward into this book so that you will do what it takes to have it make a difference for you. Having something at stake will make you play a whole different way.

In business and in life, we know that high return often requires high risk. Otherwise, anyone could have anything. Though I do believe anyone can have anything, it requires commitment and courage to really risk oneself to get it. What are you willing to put on the line to make happen in your life and career out of investing your time into this book and mastering this process? Is it a new job closer to home, doing what you really love, with folks you enjoy? Is it an entire career change, into a new field that you’ve only dreamed about? Is it your own entrepreneurial venture, in an area that
you’ve pondered for so many years? What is it for you? Be really detailed about it.

If you go through this book casually, you’ll have a certain result. However, if you declare upfront what you intend to create for yourself out of it—even if you have no idea now of how that would unfold—you’ll go through the book differently. You’ll actually
do
the exercises I give you! You’ll actually
answer
the questions I pose. You’ll be operating with something “at stake.”

I promise you that, if you are willing to put something truly miraculous for yourself at stake, and do the exercises and answer the questions I give you throughout the book, something, absolutely
something
—even if it’s only one simple nugget that you get—will undoubtedly make a huge difference in the way your career flows from this point forward.

Will you accept my challenge? Will you go out right now and get a special spiral notebook that you will dedicate to engaging in your career expansion throughout this book? Write on the front of it “My Career Transformation Insights Journal.”

For the sake of what you are putting at stake, I invite you to act as though reading this book and doing this internal and external work will make things possible in your career that never were before.

For now, in order to give you the inspired support necessary to actually take this on, declare what you are putting at stake for engaging fully in this book.

I ask you to do this because I want you to affirm right now that you’re willing to play this way, and thereby get yourself in action even before you have a chance to step away and forget this section. Sometimes the mere act of
committing that a difference
can be made
in our life starts that difference happening.

Declaration: What I’m willing to put at stake for engaging fully in this book:

_____________________________________________

________________________________________________

________________________________________________

________________________________________________

________________________________________________

________________________________________________

____________________

I hereby solemnly swear I will have my “Career Transformation Insights Journal” by ______________ (date) and be ready to move forward…so help me,
me
!

____________________________

Your Signature

P
ART
1:
R
ETHINKING AND
R
ULE
-B
REAKING

Chapter 1: Rules to Start Breaking

As you move through this book and practically adapt the ideas, mindset, and methods offered to your own career situation, I want you to realize the underlying rules that these ideas, mindsets, and methods provide the opportunity to break. Some of these rules are ingrained from our childhood experiences and some are learned and implied by our respective life experiences. They may vary somewhat for each individual, but there’s an underlying grain of each of them in our constitutional makeup. Otherwise, we’d still be operating as if we were 4-year-olds, out saying “Hi!” and talking to everyone left and right. Maybe you didn’t do that as a 4-year-old, but I did…and I see that little kids have a
lot
more freedom to be in the world before they learn these rules.

At this point, let me introduce you to my “soapbox.” As we work together, you’ll see that I tend to get on a soapbox every now and then to emphasize certain points or to generally rant about your best career interests. So, we might as well get started here…

R
ULES
I
NGRAINED FROM
C
HILDHOOD
E
XPERIENCE

Don’t Talk to Strangers

What? Who said? Your mom when you were running around the grocery store talking to everyone and embarrassing her? There’s no better time to forget that rule than right now. There’s someone in front of you and someone behind you when you’re in line for that latte at the coffee shop. You never know if one of those people happens to be the sister-in-law of your next employer, client, or business partner. Talk to people! Everywhere! Anywhere! Become a COW: Citizen of the World.

Mind Your Own Business

Does that mean just don’t get involved? Don’t step out and interject into a conversation you hear going on about something you’re interested in or know something about? Never eavesdrop? Just stay in your world and “respect” others in theirs? Sure, if you want to ensure that you will always stay in your little world, go ahead: Play life that way. But, believe me, just like in Monopoly, you don’t build up your properties as fast without dealing with the outer world of other players. Get out there! Offer your insight, show your interest, interject, and ask questions!

Wait Your Turn

That’s what the good little boys and girls do, right? Or so your kindergarten teacher said. Bull! The folks who get what they want or where they want to go most often learn to
take
their turn. Now, I’m not saying be obnoxious and trounce everyone underfoot. But believe me, most people have a
long way to go
before they get to that extreme. Just be nimble, be quick, and go for it! Get your hand up first! Strategically look for spaces to step into. They’re everywhere!

Play Fair

Your Sunday School teacher told you this was the way to behave, right? Well, I’m not advocating a lack of core ethics, but that childhood programming served to stomp out a lot of simply good entrepreneurial initiative in the way people operate. A favorite Ziggy cartoon of mine by Tom Wilson shows Ziggy asking, “If the meek shall inherit the earth, who is going to step up and claim it?” Ethics and meekness are two different things. How about “Play to Win…Ethically.” Granted, the whole subject of ethics is another book, but hopefully you get the point. Look for and capitalize on an edge anywhere you can.

Don’t Speak Until Spoken to

Maybe that was more of a 1920s or 1940s childhood reproach, but I still remember remnants of it around the dinner table in my early days! The point is, we were all taught, to some degree, to limit our communications with others, to
stay in our space and respect each other’s boundaries. That brainwashing has limited our openness to simply reach out and connect. When there’s a big earthquake or disaster, we’re all out in the street acting like brothers and sisters. Otherwise, we’re isolated in our own little worlds. Reach out! Start a conversation with that doorman, barista, checkout clerk, bus driver, person next to you in the dentist’s waiting room, or little old man sitting beside you on the subway. You have
no idea
who they may be or who they may know!

Don’t Toot Your Own Horn

When have you ever seen someone grab a band member’s instrument and start playing it for them? Never. It’s
that
band member’s responsibility. If you ain’t tootin’ your own horn, nobody is! And, if you have a special gift, talent, skill, or essence to offer the world (which I believe everyone does)
and you’re NOT tootin’ it
, it’s a damn shame and an outright crime.

Don’t Bother People

This is a major voice of early programming that ensures that “salespeople” will always have a special place in society—because they transcended this voice! Whether it was a busy parent we felt intimidated to make requests of or some particular incident that had us believe we were a nuisance, the idea that we shouldn’t bother others took hold. The truth is that, outside of our deeply ingrained fears of rejection, we all
love
to interact and participate with one another! The point, yet again, is that folks live inside their safe little worlds and don’t reach out or let in what could help. Your
“bothering” someone to start a conversation with them in the line at the grocery store may serve to transfer some information between you that could be helpful. I’m not saying go out begging for what you need, or become the do-or-die Boy Scout forcing a reluctant old lady across the street. Just keep in mind that when we’re out pointedly finding ways to interact with others, we discover resources, knowledge, and information that moves everyone forward. Plus, we have an opportunity to be continually amazed at the profound truth of the simple statement: “It’s a small world after all.”