3 Ways Job Searching Is Like Dating (And 3 Ways Its Not) - Walrath Recruiting, Inc.

3 Ways Job Searching Is Like Dating (And 3 Ways Its Not) - Walrath Recruiting, Inc. Are you searching for the right one? You may have had many in the past, but now youre looking to find one thats right for you, and a good fit long term. Yes, were talking about a job, not dating. However, there are a lot of parallels between job searching and dating. Today, were going to highlight   the similarities, and point out which dating advice you can use when looking for the right job. Well also point out a few ways they are very different! 1. Its Okay to Seek Out Multiple Opportunities When dating, its okay to go on dates with many different people. This helps you find out what you are truly interested in, and keeps your options open. The same is true when applying to jobs. You should never focus entirely on one job in your search. An opportunity that may have been low on your list may be very exciting to you after you go for an interview. You never know what a job may hold, so keep your options open. Also, this allows you to shop between offers if you receive more than one! On the other hand, if you a company isnt interested, you still have more opportunities on the table. This leads us to our next parallel. 2. You Have to Push Through Rejection Most people will experience rejection throughout their lives. This happens especially when dating! If youre going to be conducting a job search, you should also prepare for a lot of rejection, which is completely normal. Since you are going to be applying to many jobs, its important to realize that not many of them will result in call backs. It can be easy to let this discourage you, but dont! If you dont hear back from a company, its because it wouldnt be the right fit. You wouldnt want to start working in a job only to realize it is completely wrong for you. Dont get hung up on why they werent interested in hiring you. Focus on your own strengths, and why the next company will want you. Its important to realize your own value if you are going to be marketing yourself to companies! 3. The Right One Is Out There Lastly, always remember that the right opportunity is out there. It will be difficult to see that at the beginning of your search, but its true. Dont get discouraged, and keep pushing forward to apply and reach out to your network.  It may take some time and work, but eventually you will find the right opportunity, or it will find you! 1. You Should Do Extensive Research Beforehand Now were moving onto all of the ways searching for a job and dating are different! The first big difference is that when it comes to your job search, you should do extensive research. Carrying out research will greatly increase your chances of getting hired. Just make sure you know where to look! Doing this research will keep you informed, and show that you are genuinely interested if you wind up getting a job interview. On the other hand, doing extensive research before a date is just creepy. In a job interview, the interviewer will be impressed if you are familiar with the companys product. No date is going to be impressed if you already know how they spend most their free time. 2. Its Okay to Cheat If you meet the right person while dating, and decide to start a relationship, there are certain expectations. One of those expectations is usually that youre not going to cheat and meet up with other people. However, that same expectation doesnt apply to a job. Even if youve accepted a job and been in that job for a few years, its okay for you to continually see what is open in the market. In fact, its a smart move. Its also not uncommon for people to conduct a confidential search, and interview while still employed. You have to advocate for your own career and decide what is best. It just may not be wise to approach a long standing relationship with that cavalier attitude. 3. You Should Still Keep In Touch If you only went on a few dates with someone before they decided it wasnt right, it would be really odd for you to keep contacting them. However, the same cant be said in your job search. Growing your network is something you should always be doing. So even if you dont land the job, it may not be a bad idea to keep in touch with the hiring manager, or check back to see if they have open jobs at that company later on. There are a number of reasons that they may not have hired you. For example, perhaps they werent able to afford the salary you wanted, given their budget. Perhaps in a year, they will have allocated more funds, and will want to fill a similar role. You never know! By now you know, dating and looking for a new job are very similar in some ways, and very different in others. Comparing them has brought forth some interesting lessons that we hope you found to be of value. Seek out many opportunities, push through the rejection, and youre sure to find the right one! Well let you guess which we are referring to.