It’s Time to Flip the Idea of Who’s Picking Who in a Job Search

The all-too-common notion of a job search is that you send out resumes to promising companies, wait around, and hope that they pick you over all the other schmoes begging for a spot in the company.

But that’s exactly opposite of how a job search really should be. You shouldn’t approach the process with that sort of begging mentality. In reality, the employer has as much to gain or lose in the process as you do.
And your happiness is at stake. You should be choosing them as much as they’re choosing you.

To flip it around to your advantage in this way, start thinking of your job search as researching and investigating opportunities and companies, so you can make an informed decision — in much the way you’d buy a car or a house.

It’s a complete shift in attitude, one that some people might think borders on arrogant. But it really isn’t. If you’re a talented, capable individual, you deserve to have a company that recognizes that potential and uses it to its fullest. You deserve a big say in the matter.

Here are some great ways to start flipping your job search attitude around so you’re in control:

Plan Ahead
Picking a company instead of hoping they pick you is obviously a choosy approach to a job search. So plan ahead. It isn’t a mindset you can have when you’re being laid off in two weeks. Give it six months, maybe even a year or more depending on the industry and what you’re looking for.

Clarify Your Needs
Before you can choose a company that best fits your needs, you first have to have a very clear picture of what those needs are. Again, this isn’t something you can do in one or two days. Do plenty of reading, studying, and investigation during your job search. You may find it helpful to enlist the aid of a career coach to help you clarify your needs and expectations. It’s always money well spent.

Focus on Networking
Yeah, yeah, yeah — you’ve heard this piece of wisdom a million times. But it’s as true as ever. When you find job leads through people that you know, you inherently know more about the company. You can tell going into the situation whether it’s something that might look like a good fit. It’s a whole lot more empowering way to conduct a job search than digging through job boards and looking at faceless, anonymous postings.

Demand That the Job is a Relationship
To choose an employer that really suits your needs, you have to first go into the job search with the expectation that any kind of job is a two-way relationship. You’re going to give them certain things you want and need. In return they will give you certain things besides money — things you require of a good employer.

Ask the Questions
Once you know what you require, you have to ask questions to determine whether or not a company can give you those things. Interview the interviewer. If he refuses to tell you the details of whether a company may suit your needs or not, politely excuse yourself and walk out. You’re too talented, and too valuable to endure such an attitude of secrecy.

Choosing an employer is a complete shift in attitude. Most of us go about a job search the exact opposite way. But when we allow an employer to choose us instead of the other way around, we short circuit our chances of being truly utilized to our fullest potential. And that’s surely a way to unhappiness and an underperforming career.