Job Hunting vs Job Shopping

Do we really hunt jobs or do opportunities find us when we leave the right type of breadcrumb trail? The very thought of hunting a job, has me picturing Elmer Fudd with his shotgun rustling around some bushes looking for that “wascally wabbit” of a job.

Hunting jobs does sound kind of manly, aggressive and implies that with enough energy expended, success is inevitable. So what’s wrong with that terminology? I think that the real issue with that mindset is that it lures people into a false sense of how job finding currently works. In many ways the job seeker is the prey not the predator. In this scenario, the prey needs to make itself look as appealing as possible so that the predator goes after it. It would be like an antelope seasoning itself with some salt and pepper to make it more delicious for a lion. Then the organization can find the most delicious candidates and call it a day. “Kind of unfair,” if you ask me… Since the candidates found were just better at presentation, but not necessarily the best fit for the job.

This is not a crisis of just one party- and it requires a mutual effort to truly address it

Let’s now talk about a better world in which both the job seeker and employer need to present themselves in a favorable fashion. They both are necessary and there’s no power struggle. Such as a mall in which the consumer and store both need each other. The store therefore must attract customers based on their brand, products, services, messaging etc. The consumer then can explore the store and if they see something worthwhile, can make a purchase. There’s a level of reciprocity and synergy in this mall scenario that is not found in the job market.

Now think about the mall example and imagine that it’s a reality! JobzMall has built a virtual mall that does exactly that. JobzMall is a virtual shopping mall comprised by Organizations hosting virtual "stores", whether its a mom-and-pop store to a Fortune 500, a thriving startup, or a local nonprofit - any organization can host their store and welcome future team members. Talk about their values, videos, give a taste of what that brand stands for. This allows job seekers to passively cruise by and "window-shop" or actively engage with them.  

When a job seeker finds an opportunity that reflects their values, they can put those jobs in their shopping cart to apply to later. Do you want to make a first impression? Record a video cover letter and a beautifully responsive profile, they can now entice the employer to fully see their value. It’s a WIN WIN!!! At the end of the day employers want talent and people want great, meaningful jobs.

Before I go away, I want to remind everyone of this essential element: You spend more time with the people at work than your family. Do you hunt for a wife or a husband? Well people on Bachelorette, or in certain cultures across the globe may have a different opinion than I.. Our job is such an essential element in our life, where we work is just as important. Who we work with.. And we need a better system in connecting and facilitating that for us. Just like we are not hunters or gatherers, job hunting is a thing of the past, not the future.