Once you have made that non-trivial decision to go on the hunt . . . the first thing you need to do is figure out YOU!

By Steve Moran

This will be a series of articles based on several conversations with Julie Rupinski, the founder of Medbest Recruiting (a Senior Housing Forum partner), about finding your next job. Not originally planned as a series, it really starts with an article titled “Should I Be Looking for a New Position?” that was published in November of 2017.

This article assumes you have made that non-trivial decision to go on the hunt.

Figuring You Out

The first thing you need to do is figure out YOU. Here are five important questions to ask yourself:

  1. What is my dream job? What is the job I would kill for; the job I would do for free (no, I am not suggesting you should do that). The curious paradox is that dream jobs are almost always the jobs that pay the best.

  2. What makes me uniquely qualified for the job I want? When have I created something unique, innovative or brilliant that made a real difference in the lives of people or organizations? As you think about this realize, it can be a little, simple idea that had a big impact (lower turnover, higher occupancy, higher resident engagement or team engagement scores). It is often the simple things . . . simple moments of brilliance that have the most impact.

  3. When you look at other possible candidates for your dream job, what might make them better than you? This is a hard question to ask but it is vital to the next question. You can’t be best at everything, but there are some things you are better at than anyone else in the whole world. It might even be that you are willing to work for less money, but I hope it is better . . . much better than that.

  4. What is it that I do, that no one else can do, or no one else can do better than I can do? This may seem arrogant, but it is not, it is your secret sauce. You may need someone else to help you figure it out. My friend Denise Scott recently sent me and about 20 other friends an email asking us to tell her what each of us thinks her superpowers are? 
    • After answering, I confessed that I would be afraid to send that email for fear that either no one would answer or that I would be laughed at. By the way, she got great responses from almost everyone she asked.
    • Another way to think about it is this. If someone interviewed you — and subsequently offered you the job and you turned them down — what is that one attribute you have that they would most regret not being able to get?
  5. What are the questions that I want them to ask about me, that will make me look really good? You should also spend some time thinking about what questions you might be asked that would make them not want to hire you.

As Julie and I explored what it takes to find the perfect next job she made the point that a search firm like Medbest can be a very effective way to explore these questions with you. They can help you find the right organization where you will be the ideal candidate.

Next in the series: How to go about finding the right positions to interview for.

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