WCIYP (It's a Whole New World for Job-Hunters)

As I mentioned in my previous blog post pertaining to the book"What Color Is Your Parachute", by Richard N. Bolles, job-hunting and career-changing have evolved dramatically since 2008. Remarkably, the book discusses how job-hunters and employers speak practically two different languages in its first chapter. For instance, to job-hunters the word skills represents the ability to perform a task, but to employers the term relates to experience. I found the analogy of job-hunters and employers speaking different languages to be rather interesting, especially if you consider researching about a potential employer being similar to visiting a foreign country. In other words, before you visit another country, it is necessary to understand their customs and values. The same could be said for a company before you interview for a position, as you need to be prepared to adapt to the preferences an employer is searching for.

As I continued to ponder through the various reasons why job-hunters and employers speak different languages, I came across six contrasts that were rather compelling. Below are three of the most important language barriers that I came across:

• "You want the job-market to be a hiring game. But the employer regards its as an elimination   game-untl the very last phase."

• "In being considered for a job, you want your solid past performance (summarized on your written resume) to be all that gets weighed."

• "You want the employer to hunt for you the same way you are hunting for them." 

Consider the image below for further insight as to how job-hunters and employers differ in terms of searching for job vacancies:

The quotes and picture above represent common misconceptions that job-hunters perceive when in the market for a new occupation. In the end, it is imperative to realize that time is the main concern for job-hunters, while risk is the primary value for employers. The ability to express self-worth or value to a potential employer is a required interpersonal skill in order to succeed in today's new world of searching for work.