Originally published July 5, 2014
I haven’t become any more athletic since last posting a sports analogy for my career decisions. If anything, I’ve done more fumbling. My sister coerced me into joining her and some friends on a fishing trip one early morning in May. I was reluctant to fish, though I was eager for the time on the water. By afternoon, there I was, fishing rod in hand and art tools tucked neatly away in the bag. Here’s how being on that peaceful water far from work and business and home impacted me. Read on for this fishy analogy…
Patience: Not just the name of my sister who dragged me out to the river that morning, it is the virtue that is most exemplified in sports like fishing and hunting. Like hunting for sport, looking for a job can be a waiting game. And very much like fishing, a job search is about casting the line, waiting for a bite, and reeling them in should a prospect take the bait. Most of the time, though, it’s about waiting for a nibble. Even if I catch anything, I still have to determine whether it’s a keeper.
Cast the line: Every time I submit a résumé, send a cover letter, or complete an application, it’s my opportunity to give prospective employers a first and lasting impression of who I am and what I’m about. What do I offer? What do I tell employers about me? What kind of employee am I? How I convey that and other information is my line. The most I can do at this stage is make sure I’ve got the best possible bait to match the kind of fish I’m trying to snag.
Wait for a bite: Bites are funny things. Sometimes fish will nibble at the bait, and maybe I’ll feel a tug on the line. Other times they’ll devour the bait without getting hooked, and by the time I reel the hook back in, the bait had long been gone. Once in a while, though, one will take the bait and get caught on the hook. Then comes the struggle to reel it in.
When fishing for work, the nibblers are the ones who probably shuffle my résumé around between the maybe and yes piles. In the end, I go from maybe to no. The devouring kind are the ones who might reach out by phone or e-mail and give me some kind of test to see how I might handle certain situations, and if I answer very well, someone has just gotten free advice on how to deal with an issue. Then they hire someone else to implement what they’ll call their ideal solution. (Yes, have had that happen to me.) Finally, there are the ones who take the bait and get hooked. Then comes the real work.
Reel it in: The ones who take the bait and get hooked are the ones who require most effort when job hunting. These are the ones on whom I’ve made strong enough an impression to merit a phone or in-person interview. Sometimes I even make it to a second round of interviews where that kind of thing happens. Once across a table from one or more interviewers, I have 30 minutes or so to reel the employer in. It’s sometimes a dance; I shorten the line as I lower the rod to give them a feeling of control, and then I draw back, pulling them closer to me. With a strong line and sharp hook, it’s not long before I’ve caught one. And if an offer should make its way to the table, a new decision point is reached.
Keep or toss back: Granted, some of the power is still in the employer’s court, as a writhing fish could flop off the hook, out of my hands, and back into the water. When the cards are in my favor, though, I have to measure the catch, consider other offers and options to my avail, and determine whether this one is a keeper (worth pursuing) or a return. There are times that I have to throw it back because it doesn’t measure up to a goal I’m trying to reach or because others already on the boat are just better options. If I have a keeper, I can send an earlier catch back out there for someone else to snag.
Of course, as you can imagine, I’m looking more and more to sports for career and leadership analogies. Share in comments your own stories and experiences.