Saturday 8 August 2015

The Three Challenges for Job Seekers


Challenge #1: We must pull ourselves out of the boxes employers put us in.  We have to re-imagine who we are in the workplace.  We must no longer accept the label of "worker" or "employee" or "labour."  We have to see ourselves, instead, as a "person of talent."

Talent is not something reserved for the winner of some made-for-TV dance contest or the NCAA basketball tournament.  It is the capacity for excellence.  And that access to superior performance is an attribute of our species.  Like our opposable thumb, talent is a defining characteristic of being human.

Challenge #2: We must refuse to fit into employers' "normal distribution" of talent.  They believe only a few of us are capable of doing great work and that the best the rest of us can accomplish is mediocrity.  We have to show them they're wrong by living up to our decision to be a person of talent.

Talent can only be expressed and experienced, however, if it is taught the skills and knowledge for a compatible career field.  A person of talent, therefore, sees him or herself as a "work in progress."  They are a perpetual student who is forever upgrading their ability to bring their talent to work with them AND use it effectively on-the-job.

Challenge #3: We must deny our talent to those who don't deserve it.  We must no longer lend our talent to abusive employers who treat working men and women as disposable widgets with DNA, costs to be offloaded the minute the economy gets tight (and threatens their bonus).

Employers believe they are engaged in a War for Talent.  Sadly, they're right.  An awful lot of people don't know what their talent is, haven't bothered to give it up-to-date skills and/or don't bring it to work with them.  And, ironically it's that reality which makes employers vulnerable to economic disobedience.

The shortage of talent gives a huge competitive advantage to those of us who see ourselves as a person of talent and act that way.  In essence, we can cherry pick the best employers – the ones that will respect and support our capacity for excellence. 

Aerizo Group – HR Consultancy

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