Job Success Odds

29 February 2024

If you aren't selected for a role don't take it personally.  The odds were stacked against you from the beginning.

Yet....

It is natural to think that you have a higher than average chance because you have a front row seat into all the skills, knowledge, experience, passion, commitment, vision, and potential you will bring to the role.  And you don't have the same front row seat into the skills, knowledge, experience, passion, commitment, vision, and potential that the other candidates bring, which is likely just as much as you.

To stack the odds more in your favour you need to do more than simply apply.  The core basics are:

• Contact the contact person
• Know what things differentiate you so you can clearly articulate them
• Have a wide and diverse network that you reach out to for insider information
• Write a clean and targeted application and resume
• Be clear about examples of your work that show you capabilities
• Know you own perspective on the possible topics they may ask you questions about
• Know why they want the person in the role to be good at the skills
• Have imagined yourself in the role and become excited by the new things you want to bring to it

Even with all the above you are unlikely to raise the odds above 50%, so also be kind to yourself if you are not successful - there will be other jobs and other directions in which to take your career.

As always, wishing you a flourishing career.

Katherine