Week 8 - Alternative Job Hunting

This blog post will focus on chapter six from, What Color Is Your Parachute 2016 by Richard N. Bolles. The title of this chapter is "What to Do When Your Job-Hunt Isn't Working". From the beginning of this book it has focused on the traditional way of job hunting, states Bolles. The traditional way being that you massively post and send out your resume in hopes of receiving some sort of response. Well if this has not worked for you do not give up!

Bolles discusses 12 alternative ways to hunt for a job, with the main focus on what he calls "The Parachute Way". Coincidentally the parachute way has a 86% success rate. Meaning that out of every 100 people this way will only fail for 14 people, triumphing for the 86 others.

So now you may be wondering what is this way and how can I prosper from it. Bolles states, begin with yourself instead of the market, find out what you love to do. After figuring that out then begin searching for organizations that are tailored to you. Next, no more sitting around and waiting for a vacancy to become available. Approach the organization with yourself and not a resume.
Yes this may be harder, require more work, and takes more time; but it will be more rewarding.

Overall you are looking for your dream job, how is this a bad thing? It's not. Who would not want their dream job. When preparing this way you need to just work on understanding yourself as your homework. That is easy enough. The parachute way is without a doubt an easy alternative so far.

When it comes time to actually going to the organization it could be a little nerve-wrecking, but don't let that stop you. The easy route is not always the most rewarding. At the organization you want to find a person that will either be able to give you the interview you are looking for; Or a person who will be able to set you up with a person who will interview you, this is known as a "bridge-person".

Now you have your interview, hoping all went well. In the interview you want to listen 50% of the time and ask questions the other 50%. Working your way up to the final interview you will want to discover if this is the company you want to work for. At the end of the final interview you decided you want to work there Bolles suggest to ask, "I believe that I could be a real asset to the you. Given all we've talked about can you offer me this job?" Doing this will provide closure within the interviewing process.

Of the other 11 alternative ways, the parachute way has the most success rate. Thus, give this a shot first if the typical traditional way does not work. Speaking from experience, I  actually used this method - yet I did not know it was called the parachute method. Let me just say, I was one of the eighty-six, It worked and I got the job.

Good Luck,
-STURCO