Finding work is full of uncontrollable factors

Focus on things you can control when seeking a job will produce better results

"God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference."

—

This scenario is probably familiar to you.

Years ago, I interviewed for what I thought would be my dream job, overseeing an 85-seat contact centre of a well-known consumer goods company. My preparation for the interview was intense. Despite feeling nervous on the big day, I felt prepared.

I felt comfortable with my interviewer. My charismatic personality helped me establish a strong relationship with him. For 10 minutes, we talked about our mutual love for golf. All the signals pointed to me being in. I left the interview feeling confident I would get a callback or, better yet, a job offer.

Instead, the next day I got an email thanking me for my time ... you know the rest.

I was crushed and disappointed beyond words. In retrospect, now having made thousands of hires, I realize I was not selected because I lacked the experience or skills. I was not selected because I was not the right fit.

When job searching, which, in simple terms, is looking for a new employer, it is tempting to compare your job search to shopping for a new car or booking a vacation. You envision researching all the jobs available, picking the best and it will be yours. With all the talk of a labour shortage, it is easy to imagine finding a job is equivalent to shopping.

However, job seekers quickly realize that competition for jobs is fierce. Job seekers are also learning that many variables are beyond their control, including the number of available positions in their profession and/or industry, the level of competition they are up against and even their interviewer's mood.

Focusing on the parts you can control will produce much better job search results. As for everything outside your control, admit they are uncontrollable and do not take rejections personally.

The following are three factors you cannot control:

WHO IS HIRING

In a perfect job search scenario, your network or a job board presents you with the perfect job, employer and location. However, most of the time, you are constantly refreshing job boards and checking in with your network, hoping to see or hear of a suitable opportunity.

While you have no control over who is hiring, you have control over your efforts.

Only by spending enough time on your job search will it progress — ideally six hours a day if you are unemployed. Yes, some people seem to have jobs land in their lap. Such people have embraced the value of cultivating and maintaining an extensive professional network. They are active on LinkedIn and regularly update their profile. Personal branding is something they take seriously.

Consistent effort pays off.

Instead of envying those you think have it easier than you or who have the success you wish you had, ask yourself what they are doing that you are not.

THE JOB MARKET

The job market has always been in flux.

During the COVID pandemic, the job market went through turmoil unlike anything we had ever seen. Governments mandated businesses cease doing business; overnight, millions found themselves unemployed. Technology, AI, robotics, offshoring, wars, supply chain challenges and pandemics are all out of your control. All these economic shifts – and many others – directly impact your job search.

You can, however, control how you react to the current job market.

Understanding the forces influencing the job market can help you target your job search and anticipate which industry is expanding and which of them are contracting. Additionally, you can better determine if and how your skills are transferrable to a new, growing industry.

COMPETITION

Whatever your age, you will always have to contend with someone younger, more skilled and hungrier than you. I know that truisms hurt.

Often those you are competing against are more qualified, charismatic and articulate than you.

A few months after my heartbreaking rejection, using LinkedIn, I looked up who had been hired. After reading her profile, I thought, "I would have hired her." She had five years more experience than me and a better pedigree of past employers. Yes, hiring managers are influenced by whom you have worked for.

Your preparation, however, is under your control.

Stressing about your competition is counterproductive. Instead, focus on being well-prepared. Practice, practice, practice.

Interviews are sales meetings. Selling yourself can feel uncomfortable. Practice, by yourself or with a friend, talking about yourself as a product employers need to increase revenue, efficiency or savings.

Another thing that is beyond your control is the hiring manager's final decision. Your response to rejection, however, is within your control. I believe that, for every ‘no’ you receive, you are one step closer to a ‘yes.’

View your job search as a competition. Believe me, it is. Focus your energy on the factors you can control and that ‘yes’ you are after is not far off.