We all catch a gut punch at some point in our lives.
When we take risks, we open ourselves up to it.
We all fail at some point in our lives. We all hear “No”. We all face rejection.
If we keep failing forward and seeking feedback though, eventually we’ll meet success.
Facing up to your fear of failure consistently and in small doses will inoculate you to the point that your definition of “normal” vs. “risky” will have built you to such a level of outlier that you can’t help it but stand out.
Up to this point you’ve looked yourself in the mirror, set your sights, and started to own the process.
This is the last post and the last step in the Finding Purposeful Work series.
The last step … seek feedback.
The more you involve others, the more invested in you they’ll be and the more invested in the process you’ll be.
#1 Converse and rehearse
Toward the end of the last post, we talked about the power of our network. It’s worth reiterating.
Your network is your most powerful asset. Use it.
When looking for a new position, talk to lots of different people. Mentors, close friends, work associates, people you’ve studied with, and people in or close to your “dream job”.
Before you embark on that mission, talking it through will set you straight and make sure you’re going for the right thing for the right reasons.
Here’s my plan. Here’s my “Why?”. What do you think?
I’ve had these types of conversations over-and-over, throughout my job search, and each and every one of them produced a golden nugget.
Conversations like these (1) keep you honest, (2) strengthen your network, and (3) let people in your network know 1:1 that you’re looking.
The more you involve others, the more invested in you they’ll be.
Sharing and working through your story, makes you better at telling it and strengthens your convictions in going for what you really want. It offers the opportunity to rehearse.
Experience sharpens. The more you do it, the better you get.
#2 Show me, don’t tell me
One of the ways you get closer to where you want to be is by showing it. By showing your skills.
A portfolio of projects. A series of YouTube videos or Medium articles.
They show competency, whereas, when you’re interviewing, you’re telling of your competency.
Showing >>> telling.
Of course you’ve got to be able to tell your story and sell your fit, but having your work speak for you can boost the interviewer’s confidence and take the pressure off the one time performance of an interview.
If you’re newer to an area of work, it’s likely their hiring team will do a little digging. And if that hiring team comes upon a really impressive project portfolio that speaks for you, they’ll get excited to interview YOU.
Even if they don’t dig into your past work, you can share links with your application and use the interview as an opportunity to showcase something showcase-worthy.
Showing that our dart is meant for their bull’s eye is what the whole damn thing is about.
The more you do it, the better you get. The better you get, the more you set yourself up.
#3 Interview, interview, interview
Repetition is the mother of skill.
It applies to telling our story. It applies to showing our competency. And it certainly applies to interviewing.
- If we go into an interview cold and without preparation, we’re going to look a dud.
- Flip that. If we go into an interview warm and prepared, we’re going to look a stud.
There are patterns to this. To the personal questions. To the technical questions. To your ability to listen, think before responding, and show substance in response.
If you set aside the time to research the company, the position, and interviewing process, you can fab up a few personal and technical screenings yourself.
You can put yourself in the shoes of the interviewer. This will help you understand what they’re looking for, why they’re looking for it, and how you can best prepare.
You can then rehearse for the “game time” situation so that when you’re actually in it, you can enjoy the process.
Do something to get the heart rate up and simulate nerves (ie. jumping jacks), set the timer (ie. 20mins), and work through the questions in as real a manner as possible.
Early on, I like to rehearse 3 times for each type of interview (ie. personal Qs vs technical Qs). Once I’ve got rehearsals and a couple interviews under my belt, I’m rock solid.
Once our interviewing legs are under us, we can take bigger shots and go for “reach” opportunities.
It takes preparation though. Telling your story, showcasing your work, showing interest and acing the interviewing take preparation.
To exude true confidence, requires competence in the process.
People like enjoyable people. If the attributes the interviewer leaves the interview with are “confident”, “competent”, and “intellectually curious” then you did your damn job.
Fuckin’ eh 🙂
The aim of every interview we take is to flip the script and put the interviewer in a position to make us an offer we can’t refuse.
#4 Adapt
This last point is one of the most important in the process.
There’s signal and there’s noise. Along the way, you’ll get both.
In time, you’ve got to refine your ability to tune out the noise and keep just the signal.
This will help you refine your approach to the point that “Mission accomplished” is damn near a guarantee.
If you get rejected, think “Good”. More time to prepare and get better.
It’s gonna take time to hit the bull’s eye. Nobody gets it on the first throw.
Until then, we keep workin’ our focus, stance, and throwing mechanics.
It’s a learning process.
The rejections, the No’s, the failures … they’re our best teachers.
They teach us what we don’t know.
And once we know what we didn’t know, we can adapt.
The feedback you take along the way takes you one step closer to hitting the bull’s eye.
Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.
— Benjamin Franklin
The last step in finding purposeful work is interactive. It’s engaging.
We need feedback from others to effectively:
- Converse and rehearse
- Show me, don’t tell me
- Interview, interview, interview and
- Adapt
Finding that “dream job” can take a while.
Most of us weren’t struck with that lightning bolt of life purpose when we were 12.
Fuck those dorks.
Most of us are figuring it out.
Slowly but surely. Step by step.
And that’s A-OK.
Life is for figuring it out.
Sometimes we feel up and like we know what the hell we’re doing and other times we feel like a complete idiot.
That’s normal. Natural. Human.
Just keep moving forward. Carving your unique path and leaving your unique mark.
As my 102 year old great aunt once told me, “As long as you’re learning, you’re doing the right work.”
Who am I to argue with someone with 3x the life experience and depth in their years than me.
Sometimes our elders know best and the best answers are the simplest.
Seek feedback. Involve others. Keep learning.
You’ll get there in time.
[THE END]
If you’ve got thoughts on the topic (ie. things you strongly agree vs. disagree with), leave a comment. I’d love to hear it.
Here’s to you. Cheers to you.
Thank you for reading all the way through!
Magnus
