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You SHOULD be trying to find a job
GL Hoffman, author of the highly regarded blog, “What Would Dad Say,” contacted me to invite a reply to Seth Godin’s guest post on WWDS. In the post, Seth (the author of the most popular marketing blog in the world and 12 best-selling books) says that you shouldn’t try to get a job. His rationale:
There are a few reasons for this. The first is that the act of trying to get a job corrupts you. It pushes you to be average, to fit in and to do what you’re told.
The second is that this act moves the responsibility from you to that guy who didn’t hire you. It’s his fault. As soon as you start spending your day trying to please the guy, you’ve blown it.
The third is that the economy is terrible and the best jobs you’re going to get are lousy.
What does Seth suggest instead? Bon bons and a cruise on the Riviera? No. He says: Start a business. A tiny one.
Well, then.
This isn’t the first time I’ve disagreed with Seth. He caused a stir when he claimed that, if you are “remarkable, amazing or just plain spectacular,” you don’t even need a resume. Certainly, there is a small percentage of the population who do not need a resume to land a job. You can probably come up with a set of names, the uber-business people and celebrities for whom opportunities come knocking. (I do agree that we should all aspire to develop a persona that will draw opportunities, but most people will still need a form of a resume for a job, even if it is a formality.)
For the same reason that “you don’t need a resume, you need to be remarkable” is advice that is suitable for a small percentage of the population, admonishing careerists that there are no good jobs and the only admirable thing to do is start a business similarly is good advice for a small percentage of the population.
The fact is, not everyone is well suited to being an entrepreneur. Brian O’Kane, author of Could You Be Your Own Boss says that research shows that successful entrepreneurs have:
- Strong needs for control and independence
- Drive and energy
- Self-confidence
- A point of view of money as a measure of performance
- A tolerance of ambiguity and uncertainty
- A sense of social responsibility
and that they are good at:
- Problem-solving
- Setting (and achieving) goals and targets
- Calculated risk-taking
- Committing themselves for the long term
- Dealing with failure
- Using feedback
- Taking the initiative
- Seeking personal responsibility
- Tapping and using resources
- Competing against self-imposed standards.
Personality type also comes into play. Small Business Entrepreneurs suggests that the “ideal” Myers-Briggs type indicator for an entrepreneur is ENTJ, but having that uncommon type is no guarantee of business success and happiness.
All of this by way of suggesting that some people, even if they are remarkable, may not be well suited to running their own businesses. I don’t think that someone who would prefer to let someone else manage the big picture (and, let’s be honest – the headaches that come from running a business) are corrupt or average – far from it. Knowing your own strengths and weaknesses is key to success in business and in life. If you know you are not suited to running a business, it’s the last thing you should try to do.
Finally, I must address Seth’s suggestion that there are no good jobs available and that being an employee is about spending your day trying to please someone else. Provocative, but preposterous!
There ARE organizations who value their employees and encourage independent thinking. Read profiles of this type of company HERE and read about GreatPlaceJobs to learn how to easily search for jobs with award-winning employers. (Join today to beat the price increase on April 1st…Plus, you get a copy of GL’s ebook, Dig Your Job (a $9.99 value) with your $20 subscription if you join TODAY!)
Do I think that some job seekers should pull out all the stops to start a small business? Absolutely. I have advised a number of my clients to pursue that path. It’s not for everyone, though, and if it’s not for you, consider yourself self-aware and astute, not average and corrupt!
Convinced that finding a job is for you? I can help! Even if you are ready to start a new business, you still need a strong resume and online presence. Contact me to learn how to achieve your dreams!
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Thanks for reading.
It seems to me that if I was hiring people to work at the Container Store or Campbell’s or other places that give people freedom and independence, I’d sure want people that had the characteristics you list.
Oh, that’s right! These are the characteristics that not everyone has, the ones you need to be an entrepreneur… which is why I’m encouraging you to skip the mind numbing, grinding down process of being put in a heap of resumes.
Isn’t this who you would be looking to hire?
* Strong needs for control and independence
* Drive and energy
* Self-confidence
* A point of view of money as a measure of performance
* A tolerance of ambiguity and uncertainty
* A sense of social responsibility
and that they are good at:
* Problem-solving
* Setting (and achieving) goals and targets
* Calculated risk-taking
* Committing themselves for the long term
* Dealing with failure
* Using feedback
* Taking the initiative
* Seeking personal responsibility
* Tapping and using resources
* Competing against self-imposed standards.
Seth Godin’s last blog post..Why aren’t you (really) good at graphic design?
Seth writes for people who want to be remarkable…sure you can be remarkable for someone else and you might be nicely compensated for it, but if you are that remarkable, run your own show!
Sure there are remarkable people who couldn’t run a business if their life depended on it, but those aren’t exactly the people Seth writes for…
[...] post yesterday on the What Would Dad Say blog. Most of the criticism rightly points out that not everybody is suited to being an entrepreneur. But I don’t think that the point was to turn everyone into an entrepreneur, but rather to [...]
Seth – Thanks for stopping by! You make an excellent point that many people who qualify for jobs at the most desirable companies probably have characteristics that would make them successful as entrepreneurs. However, as I mentioned, not everyone welcomes managing the A to Z and taking on all of the headaches that are inevitable in running a business. Many remarkable people are remarkable in specific areas and not in others. They may be very well suited to (and happy) working for someone else using their special niche skills.
My main points of contention are in the blanket statements that you become average working for someone else and that there are no great jobs. Your point above suggests that you agree great jobs are possible! Good companies allow exceptional people to take their skills and run with them. It is possible to find an opportunity that offers a great, creative and supportive working environment without needing to worry about less interesting minutia inherent in the entrepreneur’s life.
Suggesting such an opportunity automatically corrupts and makes a worker average is extreme in my opinion.
Matt – Yes, Seth’s comments do target a specific niche. Regardless, I don’t believe that excluding a whole set of opportunities (to work for others) is wise. There are great jobs out there for exceptional people! Thanks for commenting!