As a Job Seeker, Are You a Bowler or an Archer?

Two Sports of Job Seekers (Resume Techniques)

Here are two compelling questions to seriously contemplate: When you send out your resume during your job search, 1) are you using the approach of a bowler who hopes to knock down as many pins as possible, and 2) are you aiming very carefully as an archer would do to hit the Bullseye?

The bowler’s approach is what most job seekers do. By striking multiple targets (like individual pins), the logic is that you are bound to make several good “hits” out of the effort. The archer’s method, on the other hand, is very precise with all of the energy focused on the exact center of the target. Both systems have the potential for a maximum of ten points per effort. So why does it matter which method is used when you’re looking for your best-fit new job?

Job seeking bowlers, as it turns out, experience more disappointments and discouragement than the job-seeking archer experiences. When a bowler calculates that the weekly “game” had a potential to hit 300 pins (or companies), but doesn’t receive any inquiries about their resume, self-doubt lingers overhead like a dark cloud that never parts to show the sun. Archers tend to have a different mindset about their efforts because they know that they’ve honed their skill to aim very carefully and only release the bow’s tension so the arrow shoots straight and dead-center. Archers usually have more confidence in their single deliberate effort than the bowler who is calculating a probability of the odds.

We highly endorse the archer method when looking for your best-fit job. When you understand that employers want that near-100% match for their open position, is it wisely using your time to “bowl” your way to your next job? It works if you just want a job right now – but if you want that best-fit job where you can grow and truly find professional satisfaction in what you’re contributing to the company, you should be carefully aiming and customizing your resume to be as near to 100% match as you legitimately can accomplish. Hiring managers look at bowler “hit-them-all” resumes constantly; they are looking for those resumes that are from archers who took the time to aim carefully so the one shot really hits the target.

Do you want some career coaching about this? Call us at 573.731.1359, and we’ll talk about your strategy.