Job Hunter or Farmer?
By Kevin Donlin | August 14th, 2008
According to a scientific article I stumbled across recently, humankind has been farming for only 0.5% of our history. For most of our ancestors who walked on two feet, hunting and gathering was how they got food.
I think you’ll agree that farming is a more reliable and productive way to feed your family than hunting, especially if the latter involves chasing buffalo over a cliff or throwing rocks at birds.
Which got me thinking …
Almost everyone looking for work thinks of themselves as a job hunter. They hunt for employers and gather job leads, day in and day out. That’s all they know. It’s how they’ve always done it. Maybe for 99.5% of their working history.
But wouldn’t it be an improvement — an evolutionary leap forward — for you to become a job farmer?
Naturally, you can’t expect a cash crop to sprout up overnight, so think long-term about your career here.
Here are some questions to help you think like a job farmer …
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Could you start a blog that gets you found by recruiters and employers searching Google?
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Could you join a professional association, like the Kiwanis Club, Toastmasters, or Chamber of Commerce, that lets you showcase your expertise in the company of movers and shakers in your town?
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Could you get to know an influential recruiter in your field? To find one, simply ask friends for recommendations and offer to meet said recruiter for a cup of coffee early one morning before they are busy.
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Could you forge relationships with people employed at the 10 companies you’d most like to work for? All it takes is a free account at LinkedIn, MySpace or Facebook.
I don’t pretend to have all the answers on how you might farm for jobs instead of hunt for them, but what seeds could you plant today that might lead to job offers in the coming months?
Be sure to post your comments below — I’ll be writing about this topic in an upcoming article for the Minneapolis Star Tribune.
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