Three Things You Can Do (or not!)
Everywhere you look, there’s a list. Five things you can do now. Four steps to start your job search. Two things you must not say in an interview. And I understand this. I’m famous in my family for all the lists I make. Years ago, as I was contemplating motherhood, taking a career break, and creating a bedroom for my baby, I drafted a “things to think about” list that was the object of much laughter for years. Really? You have to create a list for things you’re just thinking about? But there’s something about lists that give us the illusion we’ve got everything under control.
While I am as big a control freak as the next organized list maker, I’m suggesting we hold off sometimes on the five things or four steps or two things we must do when we’re in the job hunt. There are universal truths for job searchers — be honest, spell correctly, show up — but each person’s path in her professional life is unique. And it should be! That’s what makes the world the vibrant and interesting place it is. What I like most about the work I do is that each client brings different strengths with an individualized story and varied questions. We need lists and steps in the job search, but they need to mesh with our stories and our dreams.
Over the years in my work in colleges I witnessed an increasing emphasis on quantification, just as the rest of the business and non-profit world ramped up use of metrics. If we can count something, then we can control it. It’s not messy and error prone. But my work with donors taught me one huge lesson: you can plan all you want for dealing with people and then they’ll be, well, human, and all your plans will go awry. No amount of list making, protocols, or procedures will guarantee success when you are dealing with human beings. Don’t get me wrong: I’m the biggest supporter of data and quantification in the right places. Science! Raising money! But there’s so much goodness about our lives that isn’t quantifiable, and I wouldn’t want our interest in control to steer us away from the beauty of idiosyncrasy.
My advice is to look at all the “five steps to a better job” advice and “four things you must do to land the job you want” counsel and take them with a grain of salt. Your story is unique and what you bring is enough. Find the through line in your story to share with potential employers. Create steps and lists that work for you, and that are not a one-size-fits-all solution. It’s not a quick fix, but there aren’t any easy ways to do a job search. And, we’re not actually in control of much, except our integrity and our attitude. And, telling our own story, one quirky bit at a time.
