Most people find searching for a new job rather scary. I wonder if that’s why so many choose to do it during October…the month of scariness!
But you can’t blame people for getting a bit scared about a job search. Getting yourself prepared to sell your value to strangers ‒ not to mention actually having those conversations ‒ is not easy.
We put a poll in our Executive Suite LinkedIn group to see what the group thought was the absolute scariest thing about searching for a job. Surprisingly, “Fear of Rejection” came in last.
What’s the Scariest Thing About Job Searching?
- Fear of Rejection: 13%
- Uncertainty About the Future: 34%
- Lack of Employer Feedback: 38%
- Competition for the Role: 15%
The group indicated they were more concerned with how long the job search will take or if the right role will appear and not getting feedback from employers.
There’s a lot of uncertainty in our country as a whole right now. The best thing you can do about that is to be prepared to share your Value Story so that opportunities don’t pass you by because you weren’t ready. There are jobs out there, and there will be jobs out there. You can only control how ready you are to seize the one you want, and most people are much less prepared than they realize.
Lack of employer feedback is not a new concern. It’s really never going to get to a place where candidates want it. Companies simply cannot share much information. They aren’t going to let you know they want a person with more experience in avoiding being delisted for example, because they don’t want it getting out that they are facing that situation.
Companies also aren’t going to launch into an explanation as to why you weren’t a perfect fit for them. They don’t want to spend the time having a difficult conversation with someone they don’t want to hire and who will likely become defensive.
Candidates can only combat lack of employer feedback by doing a better job learning how to articulate their value story.
This will allow them to draw in the right opportunities and will result in much better success when in the room with decision makers.
This is so much harder than it sounds! As one executive who started working with us last week said: “I’m here because I don’t want that to happen to me again.” The “that” was him letting a call go to voicemail because he didn’t really know what to say and was afraid he’d blow the conversation. Instead, he avoided the conversation and an opportunity.
If you’d like some help with knowing what to say let us know!
