It’s a weird time in the job market. Companies are hiring, and I see friends and colleagues starting new positions. At the same time, I have had many more friends reach out, saying they are struggling to find employment, and job searches are dragging on for months. I sympathize, and it certainly seems that lots of people are trying to hold onto their existing positions.
Whether you’re looking for a new position or trying to create security in your existing role, it pays to be aware of the impression you leave in the world. Is it a positive one? Do others want to work with you? Or maybe you find people gravitate towards others. Are they impressed with your output? Satisfied? Left wanting?
Maybe a better question is: if you were running your team, would you hire you again?
I think it’s a very human tendency to overestimate our abilities and underestimate our weaknesses. That’s why 90+% of people rate themselves as above-average drivers. In my travels, I find plenty of people who aren’t very self-aware of the impression they make, good or bad. Lots of people aren’t very observant, which is another human tendency.
Recently, a friend was hiring for a position and noted that they received a large number of resumes and cover letters with spelling and grammar mistakes. They deleted those and then started to review the rest. They also mentioned that while checking LinkedIn, they were turned off by people who hadn’t added their picture. I’m not sure if those candidates were discarded.
Whether you think those are valid reasons to judge others, the reality of the world is that humans judge each other. We have our own prejudices, attractions, turn-offs, and more that influence our decisions. It’s easy to say that you’ll pick the best candidate, but that’s much harder in practice. Many of us fall into buckets with lots of others who are applying. How do we stand out?
It can be hard, especially when different people form different impressions from the same experience. Not enough experience is a challenge, and these days too much experience can also be a challenge. There are plenty of hiring managers who might not consider a candidate if their impression of a candidate is “too old”, “too expensive”, or “too set in their ways.”
It’s a tough world these days, and AI doesn’t help. What I can say is that you should be aware of the impression you make and work to regularly improve it. It’s unlikely you’re clearly above or below others who have similar experiences and skills, but building a preponderance of evidence that you are a good hire might make a difference.
Steve Jones
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