Remember When Our Office Gave You Dating Tips?

You’re probably thinking to yourself, “Woah! Wait did I miss that blog post?!” and are now anxiously navigating the search bar. Hold on there pal. What we are trying to say is that the tips we gave you about finding a job are pretty much the same as going on a date.

Don’t look so disappointed. Let us explain and maybe you’ll get a job and a date by February 26^th (The Spring Career Fair!)

Doing Your Research

STOP! No that does NOT mean creep on all of your potential love interests on Facebook. Seriously. Stop that.

Have you ever went on a date with someone and found out they are friends with your ex and you think to yourself “Oh God this is awkward, please let this stop, I need to get out of here, where’s the waitress with that water I WANT THE CHECK”? Or you find out they want to move to California and you want to move to NYC? Well the questions you ask an employer get to the same issues. Does the chemistry match? Your job/employer is your partner in a different sense, but can be affected by the same problems. Know what you want and also know what they want.

So when you’re looking for a job you need to do your research on a few things, the first being the employer. Does the company fit in with your goals? Do your qualifications match up? Does their long term objective (including geographical location) make sense with what you want to do 10 years from now? You don’t want to jump into anything, you want to get a feel for what you want and what they want and how you can compromise those two things. See that last sentence sounds like advice you get about dating someone isn't it? You don’t want to commit to something and have it be an awkward discovery that… well… it isn't going to work out. A company might imply that you can be a manager within a year. Does that commitment scare or worry you? A date might bring up goals to get married and have children one day. Does that commitment scare or worry you? Point proven.

**Side note you probably shouldn't talk about marriage or children on the first date

First Impressions

Picking your nose. Scratching yourself. Not showering. Only talking about your cats.

What do these things have in common? BINGO! They won’t get you a second date… or a job… or friends… okay you get the point. Bottom line is that your first impression in ANY social scenario matters SO much. There isn't an absolute seal of fate that you will get a date, or a job, or whatever the situation might be. Sometimes it literally comes down to the first impression. Maybe you did your research as mentioned before and you’d be a perfect fit, but it gets screwed up by something awkward and unplanned. You can’t plan for everything BUT you can try. Put on your nicest clothes, shower and maybe put a little cologne/perfume on (emphasis on a little), comb your hair, and (it sounds tacky) have a list of things to talk about in your head.  For a date maybe you want to get to know more about the other person so you have ideas of things you want to talk about. Well with companies you also want to know more about them so you should have a list of questions and conversation starters as well. Just have self-awareness when you meet. Be aware of your body language and how you look to the other person. This might staring into a mirror once in a while, or whatever it means to you.

Be Yourself!

You know what people like the most? People. Real people, not robots. It seems so risky in BOTH the dating and job search scenarios to just be yourself because you think, “What if they hate the real me”, well we’re sorry to break it to you but your employer and/or your partner will find out who your real self is eventually. Unlike in electronic stores, when you wear around a proverbial “what you see is what you get sign”, it is more reassuring.

What are employers for? Someone they can work with 40 hours a week.
What is your partner inevitably looking for? Someone they can live with… like forever.

No, not technical skills, not abilities (that doesn't mean those aren't important, but they do sometimes take the back burner). So make sure to show your personality. You would hire someone you like, and you will date someone you like (as obvious as that sounds). So show yourself, stand away from the crowd. 

Pretty much what we are trying to say is that you need to treat both of these things the same way and what you will notice about most things in life, is that everything requires similar work, objectives, steps, etc. and that everything you learn can help you in other fields of interest in your life. 

Alright we're done being philosophical, so Happy Valentines Day! Now go get a date... er.. we mean job. Or both. Yeah go get both. 

Written by Tom Weekes