by Liz Ryan |
Everyone worries about their blemishes. That’s human nature. In social settings, people say “I don’t like my hair” or “I’m so self-conscious about my height” or “I have wrinkles.”
In a business setting, especially on a job search, people say “I wish I had more Quality Control experience” or “I wish a had a better degree.”
When we talk with people about their obstacles and their aspirations, they tell us right away what they think their problems are. They go right there. Everyone is fixated on their weak spots, or what they perceive to be weak spots.
They tell us about their so-called weaknesses:
I have two-short jobs in a row on my resume. Is that going to kill me on my job search?
I changed careers ten years ago and now I’m changing careers again. Does that look like a negative?
I don’t have any fancy brand names on my list of past employers. Should I be worried about that?
I worry about my age!
We all worry about our vulnerabilities, and we always know exactly what they are. Then when we pitch resumes and applications into the maw of the automated recruiting sites and we don’t hear anything, we panic.
Our worst nightmare has come true! We are certain of it. Yet another employer hates my degree, or my experience or my age. Maybe they hate my name or my street address.
Maybe they hate the school I graduated from twenty years ago!
Of course we panic. We were already nervous about whatever we think our weakness is, and now we apply for jobs and don’t hear a peep in return. We think “Am I even employable?”
Of course you are employable, and not only that, you are valuable and marketable! A job-seeker’s biggest problem is that the recruiting apparatus is broken.
via Forbes
