Zen: 1. a school of Mahayana Buddhism that asserts that enlightenment can be attained through meditation, self contemplation, and intuition rather than through faith and devotion. 2. <jargon> To figure out something by meditation or by sudden enlightenment. (dictionary.com)
I was asked, “I have been studying to get my programming certification after being out of IT for 5 years. People want to hire youngsters, not a grandfather from the Philippines. What do I have to do to get a job?”
It won’t be easy, but you can get that job.
First you have to understand the way things really work. The concepts are not “fair”. In many ways they are not “nice”. They are all based on character, reality and results.
You can fight the principles just like you can fight the law of gravity, but gravity and these principles still apply. Contemplation of the principles may give you great insight. This is “Zen and the Art of Job Hunting”.
20 years as a recruiter have taught me these basic principles. (And I will do a post about each one of them.)
- Nothing beats a positive unstoppable Helium II attitude.
- People who are hurting are terrible employees and everyone knows it.
- You have to know your advantages and ruthlessly exploit them.
- The people competing against you must be known, measured, and either beaten, eliminated or enticed elsewhere.
- You can’t make a silk purse out of a buggy whip.
- You have to be worth more than you are being paid
- A man dying of thirst will still want a bargain on a bottle of water
- Perception isn’t important, it is everything
- Character really counts
- Diamonds in the rough don’t stay that way
- Relax and you will get cleat marks up your back
Guess what I am going to be writing about for the next two weeks? <grin>
Something To Do Today
Think about your job search. Just think. And then take notes about your conclusions.
————————–
Next 2 weeks: Zen and the art of getting a job