I would like to offer a word of encouragement to everyone out there whose inbox is full of rejection letters. They call this the “great resignation” yet you still can’t seem to get a job, and you’re probably now wondering, “What’s wrong with me?” You get caught up in the game of tweaking your resume in a never-ending guessing game trying to match unknown algorithms that keep rejecting you before human eyes gaze upon your qualifications. You change your “head shot,” work on your “elevator pitch,” polish your “brand,” fine tune your “value propositions,” etc. etc. etc. STOP IT!!!
Social media has made us all narcissists. We used to have friends, now we have followers. It’s time we all wake up. No body is following you. They are all just assuming you are following them. You don’t build relationships by branding yourself. Relationships are built through vulnerability. You must put yourself out there. No, I mean really put YOURSELF out there, not a profile of yourself. Make a friend. Do someone a favor. Actually, care about their world. Actually, bring value to their life. Don’t just talk about how you are capable of bringing value.
Stop packaging yourself and start presenting yourself. Pick up a phone. Talk to people. Invite them over to your house for dinner. Meet them in coffee shops. Find common ground and the invest time with them on that common ground. These are the secrets of success we are losing in this age of social media. Now, here is the main point of this rant: If you master these secrets, you won’t need a stinking job!
Jobs are for people who don’t have the skills to attract clients. Jobs are for people who think it is easier to attach themselves to someone else’s dream than to have the courage to realize their own dreams. Here’s an eye opener for you: You can fail at someone else’s dream easier than you can fail at your own. You only get one chance to fail at their dream. You can fail all you want on the path to realizing your own.
I had a wise man once tell me that the main reason people never make money is because they are too busy trying to earn a living. Another friend of mine, when asked “Who do you work for?” replied, “US Currency.” Why try to dance a dance for people who will take advantage of you for their own financial gain? It takes too much effort to impress greedy people. Instead, rather, channel the effort you are putting into seeking employment into securing your own customers. You will find customers are easier to get than jobs. Build relationships with people who need you, and not people who you’ve convinced yourself you need. You don’t need a boss. The only thing you need is confidence in yourself to be the boss.
Screw all those rejection letters.
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