It's A Date!!

Job hunting is like dating.  I’d heard this before, but it really just hit me recently.  It seems that in a market where SO many people are looking for jobs, we try to sell ourselves and hope employers will pick us.  When an employer picks us, we say “YES.”  But employment shouldn’t just be about selling ourselves and hoping we get bought.

 
Employment should be like dating.  You are checking out the employer, and they are checking out you.  Just because an employer offers you a job doesn’t mean you should take the job.  It takes more care and intention than that.  The job hunting process is a shortened version of the courting stage of a relationship.  You see a job description, it peaks your interest, you send information their way, they notice you and see potential too.  Then, at the interview, you both are testing out the situation…seeing if this seems like a good fit or not.  If one OR THE OTHER in the relationship doesn’t want to pursue this thing to a longer term deal, then you don’t.  I turned a job down recently.  I did feel like I was letting them down a bit, but there were too many “red flags”.  If you’ve experienced “red flags” in a relationship, you know that you should heed their warning.  So, alas, I’m still unemployed.  At this point I’m thinking it’s better to be “single” (jobless) than forcing myself into a relationship with the wrong “person” (employer).

*I should note, that I currently do have a seasonal job.  When I write, I'm writing about more long-term options.  More to come on seasonal job adventures...