Niccole Bennett
7 hrs · Bakersfield, CA ·
“Hey Mike, what’s your take on this; I keep getting told while looking for work, in this day and age “it doesn’t matter your talent or experience but who you know.” I’m trying not to get discouraged, but I’m finding some truth to this.”
Hi Nicole
You can’t change the truth of a thing, but you can always decide if it’s relevant. Take today for instance. Today is National Bologna Day.
The truth of this day is undeniable. But so what? Should we make Bologna sandwiches for dinner, and reflect on the history of processed meat? Should we send a thoughtful salami to friends and loved ones? The existence of National Bologna Day is beyond our control, but what we do about it is not. Likewise, you can not control who other people know, or how they use their connections to get a job you want. All you can do is decide if someone else’s connections are worth feeling discouraged over.
Don’t get me wrong – connections matter. When it comes to getting hired, everything matters. Talent matters. Character matters. Punctuality matters. Experience matters. Education matters. Work ethic matters. Luck matters. The way you smell matters. The way you talk matters. Sometimes, things matter that shouldn’t matter. Your complexion. Your weight. The country you’re from. The religion you practice. The gender you are. All of these things – fairly or unfairly – can impact your ability to find work. And of course, they all make excellent excuses when you can not.
I just got the numbers for this weeks episode of SGDI. They’re not as good as I’d like, so I immediately blamed The DISH network for dropping CNN. Then I blamed Major League Baseball for putting the World Series against us. Then I blamed CNN for preempting us to cover the shooting in Canada. Finally, I blamed Canada. Point is, no matter how valid, nothing’s going to change the fundamental truth that the numbers on this weeks show were lousy. But I’m not discouraged, because I happen to believe that this episode was outstanding. In fact, I think it’s the best so far.
I have no idea why you’re struggling to find work Nicole, but I can tell you this – it’s very dangerous to blame circumstances beyond your control. That leads to frustration and discouragement, and those things stink to high heaven, especially during an interview. There’s nothing you can do about people who are better connected than you, and there’s nothing I can do about the fact that CNN is no longer connected to DISH. All I can do is play the cards I have. That’s what I’d encourage you to do as well.
Mike
PS One more thing – I guarantee the people telling you that talent and experience don’t matter are lacking in both. I suspect they’re telling you the same things they told themselves when things didn’t work out the way they wanted. Ignore them. Better yet, make them a Bologna sandwich and watch this, in honor of the day.