Job Search: Are you being realistic?

How long have you been out of work?  How is the job search going?  Any interested companies?  How many interviews have you been on?  How far have you gotten in the process?  Any offers? 

Take a look at these questions and answer them honestly.  What do you think of the answers?  If the answer to the first question is over 3 months and the answer to the last question is zero then it is time for you to reassess your search. 

This blog is not going to give you advice on your search but is more of an exercise to see if you are being realistic in this unique job market.  It is imperative for all job seekers to know that this job market is not like any market that we have seen before.  More importantly, it is not the same market as the last time you may have looked for a job.  Companies are being more and more selective about whom they hire and if you are not positioning yourself as a dead hit to the role they are looking to fill then you are positioning yourself as a risk to a company.  The days of leveraging 'intangibles' are gone and now it is all about painting yourself in the right light for each opportunity that you are going after.

What is your background?  Who have you sold to?  What have you sold?  How big was your quota?  What was your base salary and total earnings for the past 3 years?  Answer these questions and compare them to the roles that you have already interviewed for – are they in line with each other?  If not, time to reassess the search and start going for roles that are a little closer to your background.  If your search is in line with your background and you are still not seeing traction, then you need to reevaluate how you are pitching yourself to companies.  

In order to conduct a thorough job search in this market you must stick with what you know.  Identify what type of sales professional you are and when you are looking at opportunities, create a pitch as to how you would sell yourself to a hiring manager.  Be realistic, get your foot in the door and take interviews for roles that you feel confident in.  Once you are in a company, you can climb the ranks from there – just give yourself an opportunity to get on the ladder.  This does not mean that you should be undershooting for roles but instead, be realistic in your search and you will start getting some offers.  Open your mind to a plethora of opportunities and your success rate will rise.