Cover Image of the September 2010 issue of Job Postings Magazine

The Concept

Around the world, career practitioners continually search for meaningful, engaging and inspiring metaphors that will, among other things, drive clients their way. Powerful metaphors also help people better understand their work search, too. (Friend and colleague) Kimberley Rawes and I have discovered the perfect career development metaphor that will have the kids talking and tweeting and maybe even sexting en route to their dream jobs.

“Career as Dating” is whispered about in secluded corners, laughed about at Career Centre holiday parties or excitedly presented as novelty by the ingenious class clown (every teacher has one – the one who cracked this gem in my class is named Alexi and he is delightful). While not delivered as formal best practice or celebrated in the academic discourse, career-as-dating is sometimes cited by pop-culture-ish blogs with very engaging results – particularly within the hormone laden environment of post-secondary institutions.

So, here’s the deal, from pick-up-line to marriage, Kimberley and I will outline a foolproof start-to-finish strategy that will help you see your work search in a whole new light…softly lit romantic light, baby!

Establish Purpose

Before you delve into your social or professional toolkit(s) you must define the purpose of your quest. Are you looking for a post-break-up-one-night-adventure or a soul-connecting-life-partner? Are you in search of an internship abroad or a permanent full-time position in the city that you call home? Think about what you want to get out of this experience. Because even if Kimberley and I chart the course, you’re the one who needs to steer your ship. Here we go.

Pick-up Lines

Picking up guys and gals in a bar can be tough – it’s noisy and you only have a matter of moments to catch their attention. Career Fairs – or networking events – are no different. Well, they are very different, but suspend disbelief for just a moment. According to Job Posting magazine’s Kari Mitchell, “an overall professional appearance is required. Showing up in jeans and a hoodie and saying that you just found out about the career fair that day is not an excuse. You need to dress to impress.”

Whether dating or job hunting, be sure to make eye contact. It’s common sense, but not common practice. Eye contact and proper body language imply active listening and interest in the discussion, which any audience will love. For more information, just follow this link and this one, too.

Recent findings show that you have less than 20 seconds to make an impression on your audience – that’s how quickly prospective employers and life-partners take to size you up. The point is that you need a spectacular elevator pitch, which is basically a 20-second summary of the value that you can add to any situation, which may or may not be supplemented by amazing graphs, videos and photos contained in your smartphone. You also need to ask interesting questions that show that you are simultaneously interested and interesting.

Which ones are for dating and which ones are for networking? Well, we’ll just leave that to you.

• “Do you know how much a male polar bear weighs? Me neither, but I figured it would be enough to break the ice.”
• “I graduated in record time from Coho University with an undergraduate degree in microbiology. I just started researching the influence of algae on prolonging the life span and increasing the population of bottlenose dolphins.”
• “Your CEO must be Jamaican, because JAMAICAN me crazy for this company!”
• There’s something wrong with your recruiter, because s/he doesn’t have my number yet.
• “What are your three favourite things about where you work?”
• “I’m sorry, were you talking to me? No? Well then, please start.”

Some super cheesy lines won’t work and can often come off as inauthentic. Remember – be yourself, especially if you’re searching for that soulful job. You wouldn’t want less from a life partner – would you?

First and Second Dates

Congratulations. Your pick-up line(s) worked and you got a date! Or an interview!!!

Okay, the first rule of interviewing is this: know the most about your audience…without coming off as a stalker. The second rule is this: be totally prepared for what is supposed to be a 15-minute coffee/screening-chat to turn into a full-blown interview that results in a job offer. In dating-parlance, once you’ve used your great line and secured a date, well, it’s time to explore your connection and see how long it takes to evolve into something amazing…or fizzle into an afterthought. If you want to make a good impression – romantically or professionally – just remember the CAR Formula, which stands for Context, Action, Result. We’ll use the most common dating/social-networking question as an example for both dating and working use of the CAR Formula.

Q: What do you do for a living?

A: For the past three years I’ve been working as a Staff Accountant for Turner, Briggs & Melvin, where I specialize in forestry-sector audits. I’ve worked hard to develop the expertise and connections that have allowed me to become one of the most sought-after nerds specialists in Western North America. In my spare time, I’ve collaborated with a team of volunteers to establish and grow a soccer league for homeless people and I also love to cook French and Japanese food for big groups of people who don’t know each other but who will by the end of the evening.

Remember, don’t just focus on what your audience wants to hear. Be yourself. Because, well, if you fake it then you’ll wake up three months later in a hollow, uninspiring, foundationless, lie-ridden, dark pit of a job/relationship that you never really wanted in the first place.

Here are some other career/romance-related questions and scenarios that you can prepare for using the CAR Formula:

• What do you value in life? / What are your top 3 work values?
• What was the best part of growing up? Where did you go to school? / Tell me about a time when….
• What makes you different from the rest? / Why should I hire you?
• Mini scenarios – test out different date venues. Can you have constant debate and intellectual discussion? Can you laugh until you cry? Can you sit quietly and enjoy each others company without that awkward pressure?

Whatever date (first, second, third) you’re on, here are some deal-breakers that will torpedo your love-life just as quickly as they will end your career, or at least burn a bridge:

• Answering your cellphone during a meeting, movie, dinner, or conversation.
• Talking badly about exes (bosses, partners or a formerly special someone).
• Not having clear expectations of each other.
• Neglecting to follow-up or doing so with a text message.

The Offer

[Editor’s note: Initial focus-group testing found that calling this category “The Job Offer” resulted in too much giggling and not enough attention to the job at han- dammit! Anyway, after a few rounds of positively received dates or interviews, a candidate will receive an offer that requires commitment. We’ll go from here].

If this is your first time committing to a serious job, you may feel uncertain about your future and want to keep your options open with other companies. This move neglects the needs of your would-be employer who is under the impression that you’re gearing up for monogamy. If you were about to commit to a partner, would you still be okay if they were meeting new people and picking up phone numbers? Probably not. In the work world, you can always send out multiple resumes and have multiple interviews, but when you’re getting close to a final interview, or an offer, its time to settle down and get committed.

When discussing an offer, it’s important to ask yourself “what is negotiated at this stage?” Are we going to be exclusive? Will I get use of the car? Do I have to relocate? What are the living arrangements? Will I be in an open office concept or will I have my own private workspace? What is the bonus structure of this arrangement? Will travel be a requirement? What is the time commitment?

Just as you would ask – or at least think about – these questions before jumping headfirst into a relationship, you should do the same when it comes to work. Or vice versa.

Wrap It Up!

So endeth part one. In Part 2, where we will discuss your First 90 Days on the Job, Getting Promoted, and Exceptions to the Rules.

– Kimberley Rawes and John Horn