What is the First Paradigm Shift in Jobpreneurship™ 101?

Jobpreneurship™ contains many paradigm shifts, but here is the first major thought shift.

We talked about YOUR Passion and YOUR Vision. That is critical for getting your dream job, career change, or to achieve optimum success. This is YOUR foundation and platform that you can now build upon. HOWEVER, it is now time to recognize that few people care what you want. To be frank, you probably don’t care what other people want – especially those people who you do not know. So, if you don’t care what other people want (unless it matches what you want), then they don’t care what you want – UNLESS IT MATCHES WHAT THEY WANT!

So now you need to start thinking about what the hiring companies and hiring manager for the dream job that you are passionate about want! You must begin putting yourself in their shoes. You must begin asking questions from them, others in the field, and from friends of the hiring manager what they are looking for; what they want. I call these “advice interviews”. Once you know what you want to do through informational interviews, you now need to begin asking for their advice of what they recommend you should do and how you can give them what they want.

Consider yourself as a car sales person. Does the buyer want a new car or a used car, a compact or SUV, a low price or a luxury car, a US model or a foreign model? Does the buyer want a blue car, a red car, a black car, or a white car? Does the buyer want a striped down model or a car with the ultimate accessory package?

Unsuccessful car sales people presume to know the answer or try to upsale the prospect. The car sales person who gets repeat customers wants to understand what the buyer wants and then tries to be sure to offer them what they are looking for and what they want.

So, in your vision of what you want to do, you must begin to think about which ten companies in your area have jobs that match your career ambition. Next, you must begin to find out what is that company looking for in degrees, certifications, experience, temperament, teaming ability, communication ability, appearance, growth potential, and a host of other factors that can set you apart from your competition and make you the person who meets or exceeds what they want – and have been looking to hire.

The paradigm shift is to not try to sell others on who you are and sucker them into buying (hiring) you. The idea is to know your passion and vision of what you want to do, to test the market by asking what hiring managers want while recognizing that you may need to change your vision to match what the buyers want or you need to find the buyers who match your vision.

If you ignore this principle, don’t be surprised if you continuously get rejected. Find out who you are, find out what they want, and then begin to develop yourself into the product that they want to buy (hire).

 

What is the Second Step of Jobpreneurship™ 101?

Once you know what you want to do, now you can start telling others! Now others can help you. But I recommend that you start by defining as narrowly as possible what you think doing that job, which is your passion, would look like if it were a dream job.

Write a narrative so that you have a good idea of what you think you want to do.

Now, instead of telling others what you want to do, find people in that industry or profession who are doing what you want to do and ask them about the realities of the job. What are the good things, the bad things, the warts, the risks, the benefits, the joys, the thrills, the downers, and any other comment that they may want to make. Then ask them why they are making those comments.

I call these discussions “informational interviews.” If you ask nicely, most people will be glad to give you their opinions. We all like giving sharing about ourselves! If you ask enough people, you will soon have a good idea of the pros and cons of the careers you are about to invest your time, money, and future into.

For example, I wonder how many lawyers or dentists we would have if they followed this process? Both fields are known for dissatisfied professions. Yet many in these careers love what they do. Wouldn’t it be wise to see if you would love it before you committed yourself to it?

Now you have your input and the input of many others. You should be able to create a picture of what that job looks like, what education you need, what experience you need, who can help you get into the field, where the jobs are, which companies have cultures that fit you and your values, what the income expectations should be, and so on. The more you learn early, the fewer surprises and the better your chance will be for success.

I call this process creating your Vision of what you want to be and do.

Let me take this opportunity to answer a common comment many make, including senior executives. The more specific you are, the narrower your vision, the greater your chances for success will be, the more others can help you, and the easier it will be to target the companies and jobs that will fit your passion.

Here is an example. If you tell me you want to be a fisherman for a living, I need to know if you want to fish for tuna or sharks, marlin or red snapper, trout or cat fish, whales or shrimp. Each are found in different parts of the ocean, lake, pond, river, or stream, use different fishing techniques, are biting at different times of the day and in different weather, use different lures, bait, nets, or traps, and react differently when they are caught.

Don’t think a whaler would hire you if you have only fished for shrimp. You may think that fishing is fishing.  But if I know better, I won’t dare try to help you. I would be embarrassed to introduce you to someone who is hiring a whaler when I know that you are not qualified. If I know that you can’t be specific, then I have to assume you really don’t know what you want to do – and I can’t help you.

Another way to help you understand who you are is through professional assessment testing. There are many options available. We have selected what we believe are the best of breed in two areas. The first test gives you a glimpse of who you are and insights into how you may fit in different careers. The second test is the world’s first test that we have found on how you fit into a company and teaming environment. Both of these tests are used by companies for job seeker assessments and organizational development. In our opinion, they offer deeper insights than many of the popular lower cost assessments. Whichever test you chose, they offer insights that may help you take a deeper look at yourself and also see what prospective employers may be seeing.

As you age, your vision of what you want to do or your circumstances of what you can do may change.  That is normal. I recommend you review your vision every year to be sure you are headed in the right direction or making course adjustments to ensure you stay on the track of your passion.

 

What is the First Step of Jobpreneurship™ 101?

The first question is, “What do you really want to do?” It has been said that 80% of Americans hate their job.  If that includes you, why?

Are you bored? Are you hitting a glass ceiling? Are you surrounded by people you don’t like? Are you doing a job in a culture or political situation that you disagree with?  What is it about the job that you have or had that you hate or hated? I recommend that you write it down.

Now, what would you love to do if you could? What would your dream job be?

Let’s start with, “What are you passionate about?” What excites you? What would make you jump out of bed each morning looking forward to getting started? Make a list.

Now, from that list, rank from high to low what you would want to do the most.

Here are some serious and not so serious examples:

• Collecting monies owed to a company
• Selling products that help others manufacture goods we all need
• Defending our country in law enforcement or the military
• Starting a new industry or technology to change the world for the better
• Sex
• Golf or Fishing
• Video Games
• Watching Soap Operas

Next, look at what you want to do and decide what you would do for a living.

Your list might look like this:

• Sex
• Golf or Fishing
• Video Games
• Watching Soap Operas

Now, most of us like sex. Few of us might chose to make sex a career.

Some of us are passionate about golf, fishing or a host other sports.

Some of us love video games and are quite good at it.

Some of us may like to watch soap operas or read books.

Next, look at what others would be willing to pay you to do for them with enough money to satisfy the lifestyle that you want or need.

Notice:

• There are careers in sex. Some pay quite well. Is that your passion or career choice?
• There are careers in golf and fishing. Some people make fortunes in sports. Are you good enough to become a top paid performer?
• There are careers in testing new video games. Even higher paying jobs in creating video games. Can you compete in these areas?
• There are careers in creating soap operas and writing books.

You get the idea. There are traditional jobs. There are non-traditional jobs. There are high paying jobs that have downsides. There are lower paying jobs that may meet your needs but let you do the work that you love to do each day.

So, the first question is “What are you passionate about doing – for a living?”

This drives your educational and training decisions that most of us need to succeed in our chosen careers. Mistakes in deciding what we want to do can result in years of expensive education wasted, years of unrelated work experience wasted, and your financial future being compromised.

Don’t think that you cannot make a living at your passion. Discover your passion. Find out what you really want to do. Then pursue it, no matter how long it takes.

Successful people are usually the most passionate about what they do. Work to them is play and enjoyable. They do more, learn more, listen more, practice more, and achieve more. They may pay a price of lower income during the lean years but they enjoy the process and fix their eyes on the prize of doing what they love doing.

If you don’t really know what you want to do, then “how can someone else help you to do what you cannot define for them?” They can’t point you in a direction unless they know which of 360 degrees on the compass you want to go.

Finally, this question is the foundation that you will build upon for the entire Jobpreneurship™ process. The question of getting a job is not what you did yesterday, but what do you want to do tomorrow?

 

Understanding Jobpreneurship™

To master Jobpreneurship™, we recommend you think of it as mastering any new profession. Let’s take a college format to explain what we mean. The first year course in a new subject is usually called “New Subject 101”. So, we have written a first year curriculum for you entitled, “Jobpreneurship™ 101 – from College to Dream Jobs”. While Jobpreneurship™ 101 has rave reviews, is a Book of the Year Finalist, and is beginning to be used in some colleges, like any foundational book it needs supplemental instruction. That is why we have additional audios, group calls, seminars, and additional levels of help available. To implement Jobprenurship™ 101, we are also offering third party tools, such as technology platforms and assessment testing, to assist you. But while there will be future offerings in Jobpreneurship™ 201 and 301, keep in mind that just ONE idea that you learn the first day can help make the difference for you getting your next job sooner than you might have otherwise. If you apply two, three, or increasingly more ideas then you will increasingly become less frustrated than most other job seekers who have never been taught more than the traditional methods of getting a job or changing a career.

For those who are employed, Jobpreneurship™ is a lifestyle that will help you in career development when applied within a company. For those who prefer to be your own boss as a consultant, entrepreneur, small business owner, or service provider, these principles will also work for you. These are best practices of how businesses are successful every day – whether you are in the business of getting a full-time job, a part-time job, a contract job, a consulting job, a business contract, or running any type of product or service business. These may be “secret” or “revolutionary” principles to those who have never been taught, but they are important in consumer sales and critical in business sales – which is what getting a job is: a business sale to a business.

Last time we showed you an overview that looked like this:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now, we will show you a much simpler model (Jobpreneurship™ 101) that you can use to apply these principles in your life. This model is a roadmap. All you have to do is to take step one, then step two, and so on. You don’t have to master each step the first time. You do have to take each step one at a time. The process is cumulative and builds a foundation for you. Once you have finished the process, you can go back to revisit and improve your performance at each step. Remember, we are teaching a set of life skills that none of us will fully master. Also, your responses will change as your life circumstances and worldview changes. Think of this as a class in science, engineering, art, drama, or any profession. You start at the beginning and get better over time. The benefit of learning Jobpreneurship™ is that even the basics can make a huge difference in whether you or someone else gets the job.

So, what is the Jobpreneurship™ 101 Roadmap?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Or, in other words, it looks like this:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So, you can see that if you really want to get a job, it is more than resumes, interviews, and negotiations.

 

A Jobpreneurship™ Overview of the Real Hiring Process

The best way to see why everyone is focusing on resumes, interviews, job boards, job fairs, and negotiations is because that is where the gatekeepers live. Whether a HR recruiter, external recruiter, temporary firms, contract firms, consulting firms, or procurement agents, the focus is on resumes (response to an request for proposal or job specification), interviews, and sources of candidates (job boards, job fairs, third party recruiting companies, etc.). So what everyone is taught to do to get a job looks like this:

 

 

This is the traditional way that colleges, coaches, recruiters, companies, and many others teach. Why? Because these are the processes that gatekeepers use in HR and Procurement. These are what the internal people in the company see. But this is NOT what companies focus on when they are selling their products and services to other companies. Does that mean that HR and Procurement are wrong? NO! They are critically important in the process. I created and ran a worldwide procurement organization serving 80 countries with $2.5 billion spend per year. I highly respect HR and Procurement. They have their jobs to do. It is just that there is much more to the story. Or as a TV personality used to say, “Here is the rest of the story.” Or, “Here is what successful insiders know and do that is not being taught to the masses.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

First, notice that HR is still involved and is critical in the process. However, 90% of the process occurs before HR even knows your name. You may have heard that 80-90% of all jobs are through networking. That is true but now you know that there is far more to “networking” than merely handing out business cards to someone.

Second, notice that HR is your friend if you understand their role and how you can help them in the process. Most HR recruiters are overwhelmed, underpaid, and complained about internally and externally. They have a very hard job. Just imagine getting hundreds or thousands of resumes for a job posting – while being responsible for filling hundreds of jobs. You do the math. Most recruiters sincerely want to help people. That is why they went into HR. So, a wise person learns the real process of how to get the job while also helping HR be successful. Help them and they can help you.

Third, notice that the terms I am using may not be familiar to most of you. Even if you have been in corporate America, if your background is in operations, HR, Finance, IT, Engineering, or many other functions outside of product development, marketing, or sales; you have probably never been taught these skills. In fact, even if you have experience in one of these areas, you may not understand the entire process. To be fair, even if you are highly experienced in one area, how we apply these business best practices to getting a job may be new to you. For example, I often cite over 21 different types of sales roles. The role in getting a job that is taught in Jobpreneurship™ is Relationship Development utilizing a Complex Solution Sale methodology. That means that most sales techniques that finance people dislike are excluded.

The good news is that every one of these areas can be taught. Anyone can use these skills to compete in the marketplace regardless of the economy. Anyone can adapt these skills to their own comfort zone, industry, or profession. Here is a secret. If 90% of your job competition don’t know these skills and are not using them and you just pick up ONE idea, then you are already more competitive than 90% of everyone else.

We redefine the business terms into terms you may be more familiar with and give you hundreds of ideas in both a roadmap format in our book Jobpreneurship™ 101 and a multitude of additional solutions that build upon the roadmap foundation. These are found in our Resources or Solutions pages.

The take-away for today, is that Jobpreneurship™ is based upon world-class best practices that top executives and executive coaches endorse but simplified into bite size steps that you can take one at a time to not only get your next job but to develop as life skills that will help you to get your dream jobs, promotions, and lifestyles that you have been wanting.