There is a huge difference between being a job seeker and a job shopper. And if you don’t understand the difference, keep reading. Because I promise you, if you’re looking for work right now, you need to understand the difference.
The Difference Between A Job Seeker & A Job Shopper
@j.t.odonnell Job Shoppers vs Job Seekers. Why ypu want to be the 1st and not the 2nd! #jobsearchtips#jobseeker#jobshopper#howto#careertiktok#jobtiktok#jobs#careers♬ original sound – J.T. O’Donnell
The majority of people looking for a job right now are job seekers. They’re getting on board job boards, they’re applying to a bunch of jobs, and then they’re sitting back and waiting to hear from employers.
Here’s the problem: just because job boards are there doesn’t mean they’ve made it easier for you.
A job seeker has a 3% chance of getting a callback when applying online. And that is because these online job boards have made it easier for the employer to get a lot of applicants. But that means there’s a lot more competition for you. So you apply for a job, a thousand other people apply, and there’s a 3% chance you’re getting a call. That is a really frustrating demotivating, embarrassing, depressing way to look for work. You don’t want to be a job seeker.
You want to be a job shopper.
A job shopper chooses who they want to work for, and they are very intentional in the way that they reach out and connect with that employer in order to get their dream job. Sounds a lot better, right? Who doesn’t like shopping?
You start by finding companies that you respect and admire that hire for your skill set and you make a list. It’s called an interview bucket list. The reason you make this list is because employers don’t just want the most qualified applicant. They want the one who would be the easiest to work with.
You get hired based on your personality and your aptitude. You can’t teach personality and you can’t teach aptitude. You can teach experience. That combination of personality and aptitude means you’ll get along with everybody else in the office and you know how to adapt yourself and do things the way the employer needs you to do them. That’s the difference.
Once you have your interview bucket list, reach out and connect with as many people as possible who work at those companies. Here’s an example of what you can say to your new connections:
“Hey, I’m a fan of your company. It’s literally on my top 20 list of companies I’d love to work for someday. Can I hear how you got your job or can I hear what you love about your work?”
That kind of connection story piques their interest because now you’re somebody they might want to hire because you have the things they can’t teach. You’ve got the personality for the job.
So, that connection story is everything. That’s how you become a job shopper instead of a job seeker. Remember to use your connection story in your disruptive cover letter too. Good luck, and go get ’em!
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