What’s the difference?
as usual, lets start with definitions…
Hunt:
pursue and kill (a wild animal) for sport or food.
search determinedly for someone or something.
of course i am going to use the second one, because well, it fits :)
Predator:
an animal that naturally preys on others.
a person or group that ruthlessly exploits others.
This one will be tricky. we’re not eating jobs of course but, while the word “exploits” is definitely not the word i would choose, if we change it to “utilizes” others — then we are getting closer to a short point i want to make. (by the way, some definitions state that a predator is a hunter who mastered and perfected the art of hunting, to the degree that suits he/she/it)
If you're the HUNTER
Yes, being determine is something all job/opportunity seekers must be and i’m sure you are too. You network, you Linkedin, you Meetup, search and ask for intros and all that and its great.
if you're the PREDATOR
Well, first of all you have to be ruthless, and this is where i learned to adapt my perspective to a predator’s one. When you’re ruthless, you do all the extra things you can do when job seeking that you not necessarily do if you are a job hunter.
Based on the definitions i set for myself above, i can draw one conclusion that by being ruthless you do the “extra mile” or as we say in Israel “Rosh Gadol” (being a big head), or you just simply go at it, do more, and bring it home!
For example, when you’re ruthlessly seeking a job you can:
Create a deck to present at a job interview about how you see the company you're applying to. Things like strengths you see, weaknesses and challenges, opportunities and overall what would do you even beyond your “job requirements”. Something simple and short, like ~5 slides, and you can of course make it about your field, i.e., if you're a programmer write about technical topics that you recognize.
Offer to support the company no matter what happens between you two. in every interview or meeting there is the chit-chat part where you’re just being nice and tell about who you are, hobbies, what makes you — you, we can use that part to offer something more from ourselves. whether its hobby related, intro to someone, even get more candidates for this or other positions available in the company. I think it shows that you realize the process is mutual and you too would like to evaluate them and ponder on your impressions of them, why shouldn't you?
Literally say that you want to work. If you have a company or a position you know you want, be blatant about it. convey that you are willing to do other adjacent positions or willing to start with a short project to prove yourself, its about the initiative but hey, if you’re offering — you better deliver :)
Write a blog post about the company. i like this one because people today love to read pieces about where they work (proof: Medium.com). Pro tip: dont be afraid to be snarky about the company you’re writing about, people are more inclined to engage if they want to defend themselves, and while we’re on the subject always ask the person interviewing you why he/she works at the company — never fails and you learn a lot.
Predators know this game and they see only the accomplishment in the end because they know they will be able to eat, and you need to know you will land a job and you will project the right things that affect candidates chances of progressing through the process.
A/B testing
DO IT. Pick 5 companies you would like to work for and you can’t get to through in any other way, and try one of the tactics or make up on your own — what do you have to lose? seriously, what?
Be yourself at all times, eventually we will thrive at a place who gets us for who we truly are.
Happy weekend :) 😁
RT