https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ehZYyu6ECfw

Getting a good job nowadays (and getting it in no distant time) requires having what it takes to deliver massive value for your potential employer’s business. But if you cannot figure out the expectations of your potential employer, how would you add value to his bottom line?

Of course, the expectations of every entrepreneur is to grow his customer base, increase profits, cut operating costs etc.; but the truth is, how many job seekers ruminate about these, talkless of having what it takes to meet them.

Sure, if you have the knack for thinking differently and thinking positive, planning purposefully and acting proactively, there is every likelihood that you will be ahead of the pack. Here are three indispensable mindset shift strategies that have the potential to land you a good job as soon as possible.

The Power of Thinking Differently And Positive Thinking
You might think all you have to do to land a good job is good academic grades and relevant work experience, without thinking about adding massive value for your potential employer’s spending. But your good academic grades and your work experience might not make a difference to your job pursuits in some establishments, and you might stay longer at home than you thought if you are not proactive. Why?

Because you are not the only applicant that has good grades and relevant work experience, and the fact that you have to compete with a lot of job seekers for a position (or a few positions) has made the competition for landing your dream job intense. Nonetheless, if you have a head for thinking, and you can figure out the challenges your potential employer is having and proffer solutions to those challenges (problems), you will catch your choice employer’s attention.

It behoves you to think far beyond your usual way of thinking if you are serious about getting your dream job soon. Having a mindset shift is imperative to your job pursuits. Thinking the same old way does not add up these days.

If you allow your mind to be overwelmed by negative thoughts (like “good jobs are hard to get these days”), there is no way you would be able to think straight and think through. Good jobs may be hard to come by for those who are not proactive. The people who are “proactive” and “think out of the box” have what it takes to catch their potential employer’s attention and get hired. They don’t see problems or challenges as insurmountable, but rather something they can tackle head-on. That is why they get things done. So, it is high time you stopped thinking in a negative way if that is your lot. You can get a good job regardless of the huge number of job seekers competing for a few positions and your country’s economic predicament as long as you have a head for thinking out of the box. The story of Ryan Graven attests to the fact that you can land a good job by the sheer demonstration of innovative skills. His thinking prowess makes a big difference in his life. Though some people might get the sack due to economic recession, you will get hired if you have the knack for bolstering up your potential employer’s income generation.

Having known the expectations (to boost patronage and income generation) of his choice employer, he came up with some result-oriented marketing ideas that got him a job. He was able to land his dream job by thinking differently, planning purposefully and acting proactively. What a great way to make impact! His strategy can work for you as well regardless of your country of residence.

Your inability to think out of the box could be the reason why you are still staying at home or roaming the streets. Rather than capitalizing on your country’s prevailing economic predicament to create a job or a business for yourself, you aare waiting for government to do that for you. You should have known that government is mainly responsible for creating enabling environment for businesses to thrive (not primarily responsible for creating jobs). So, it is about time you stopped waiting for government to give you a job when you have brain to create one for yourself.

You shouldn’t allow your country’s high rate of unemployment to make you think you cannot get a good job, but rather see it as a stepping stone to your job success. Do you know you can get a good job in no distant time? A lucrative job for that matter. It does not matter the number of people seeking jobs out there. Though many people can apply for a vacant position, the truth is only a few applicants are actually competing. The majority of the applicants are there to make up the number. So, you have a few people to compete with if you have what it takes to make a massive impact on your potential employer’ business.

Having a Bsc or HND certificate is not enough, you should also make a habit of thinking on your feet; and have the knack for learning new things beyond what you were taught in school if you really want to make an impact. Strangely enough, many job seekers cannot figure out the expectations of their potential employers nohave what it takes to make a great impact. By the way, can you figure out some invaluable ideas that can snowball your potential employer’s income generation? Do you have what it takes to make a big difference to your potential employer’s business?

For a Marketing graduate that has no clue on how to close sales (not good at getting people to buy a product), chances are he will find it hard to land a good marketing job. Are there not people who have a degree in Education but who are not cut out for teaching? They find it difficult to impart knowledge to students, though they spent four years at the university. An Accountancy graduate who does not have the knack for analyzing the story inside the numbers cannot be a sought-after applicant. What a pity! Do you have business prowess to manage the people and resources as a graduate in Business Administration? What about a graduate in Computer Science who cannot design an application, or worse still a website? Having good academic grades is inconsequential if it (your certificate) cannot bolster up your thinking faculties. If your HND or BSc cannot make a difference to your job pursuits, then what is the use of that certificate.

Let’s face the fact, would you hire someone who has no unique value to offer your company if you were an employer? I believe you won’t hire such a person if you really know the worth of a great talent. And if you know the benefit of having a great talent in your team, your potential employer is no different.

Why are you, a job seeker, bothering yourself with the amount of money you are going to earn as salaries, when you should be thinking about how to offer great value for your potential employer’s business so your profile or resume can pique his interest in your ability to make a great impact. By the way, do you know that every company is riddled with challenges and they need people (job seekers) who can help them tackle those challenges – proactive people who can make things happen. If you have the knack for figuring out your potential employer’s weak spot (as you compare his business with that of his competitors), you will get to know what he is not doing at all and what he is not doing well and position yourself (with a winning resume) to make a great impact in terms of increased productivity, more patronage etc. So, it is about time you thought differently in agreement with Benjamin Disrael who said “Nurture your mind with great thoughts, for you will never go any higher than you think.”

Plan Purposefully To Get Noticed

Do you remember how you got your certificate (be it a degree or diploma)? Did you acquire or obtain it overnight? No, of course. It took you years of devoted study to get it (if you actually worked for it). A year or more prior to your enrollment on your diploma or degree course, you thought over the course or discipline to go for – be it Accounting, Business Administration, Electrical Engineering or what have you. Besides, you sat for several internal and external examinations like JAMB UBTE, WAEC/SSCE etc. in a bid to actualize your dream of becoming a graduate. If your degree or diploma course requires planning, getting a good job these days is no different. It requires concrete planning, of course. You have to plan how to get relevant work experience (great accomplishments that seperate you from the crowd). Of course, you plan how to position your resume or possibly come up with a blog to showcase your skills set in order to get noticed (an appealing blog or resume can do the magic wand). Your resume and your cover letter should be persuasive enough to make your potential employer has absolute confidence in your ability to make a massive impact – reduce workload, increase customer base, increase productivity and income generation, otherwise they (resume and cover letter) will end up in the bin. Besides, you have to decide the company you want to work for) and the position you are seeking. To send out your resume for job vacancies (including jobs that are not advertised in the dailies or on the internet), you have to plan. What about making a success of your job interview (you have to demonstrate your ability to walk the walk)? It requires planning as well. Everything from the outset until you land your dream job requires planning (and your ability to think on your feet).

If you were an undergraduate student, this is the best time to plan for your future job pursuits, not when you have completed your degree or diploma course and your NYSC. This information may be reaching you late as a job seeker; but not too late if the realization is obvious to you (you are tired of staying at home or roaming the streets). So, it is time to set the ball rolling (start planning for your dream job).

Act Proactively So That You Can Be Singled Out
This is the time to showcase your ability to deliver massive value for your employer’s business in writing (in your resume or job proposal). Of course, you will make the grade if you have the knack for highlighting the weak spot of your potential employer. Here, you are going to show your unique brand (what you have done and what you are capable of doing with a blog – this can make a great difference to your job pursuits), together with your objectives – what you intend to achieve. You must have something unique to offer, otherwise you won’t be different from others. Keep in mind that good academic grades and relevant work experience are not sufficient. Are you good at exhibiting your USP with a resume or blog and expressing your unique brand while the interview lasts? Do you have the knack for expressing your USP with the Who, What, Why, How and Results. Do you have a unique skill or skills and great accomplishments that catch your potential employer’s interest and invariably get a call for interview? While the WHO stands for your unique skills and accomplishments that single you out, your WHAT is the impact (value) you want to make on your choice employer’s business (for instance, how to boost productivity). The WHY is how your impact will translate into unique benefits (increase in customer base through increased productivity). The HOW explains how you are going to achieve the desired results in a way or ways that mark(s) you out. The actualization of your goals is what brings about the RESULTS.

It is time to highlight your WHO, WHAT, WHY, HOW and your DESIRED OBJECTIVES that will separate you from the crowd, and therefore land your dream job fast. Merely reading this post will not add up to your job pursuits unless you think differently and think positive, plan purposefully and act proactively.

There are many jobs out there up for grabs. Employers are still looking for “think out of the box” job applicants (who have what it takes to make a massive impact) to employ. Do you have the knack for drafting a winning resume? What about showcasing your skills set with a blog? Do you have what it takes to land your dream job fast? Are you one of the candidates your potential employer is seeking to hire? Will you make the grade and stop staying at home? Your response to these questions will show how far you will go in your job pursuits.

I would like to read your comment about this post. Do not hesitate to tweet it out, and share it with your facebook fans. Don’t know how to identify and highlight your personal brand? Get in touch with me right away.

Examination success that is gotten by merit is never cheap but priceless, so, every lover of success should bear in mind that he/she has a costly price to pay to succeed; else, the desired success remains a mirage. In addition, a positive mindset that is devoid of self-doubt which entails setting definite and achievable goals, demonstrating enthusiasm which makes you eager to read your books are of paramount importance. Obviously, readers are leaders, even in examination. So, procrastination is a clog in the wheel of the progress of any scholar, take decisive action after every discovery made in this book and you will certainly excel in your exams.

The pertinent question is – “Why am I in school?” If your purpose is not well defined an opportunity of a lifetime could be squandered, that is, if you think you are in school to pass time or play football or gamble, you are not prepared for the top. Those who make it to the top in their academic know where they are going to (they set goals and know the path that leads there - pay the price of devoted study).

Consider these heart searching questions: why do I go to school? What are my examination goals? What are my study plans? Do I go to school so that I can escape punishment or rebuke from my parents? Do I go to school to meet friends? Do I go to school to add values to my life so that I might become great?

Answers to the questions raised are reasons for success or failure in your academic pursuit because if your aspirations do not match your actions, the likelihood that success remains elusive in your examination is high but it is contrariwise if your aspiration matches your action, that is, you are bound to succeed.

It is not enough to brood over the goals you set for your exams on a daily basis but you should also take actions that will enhance their achievements day in day out, however small the goals might be. When you form the habit of thinking about your goals and studying, your chance of making it big in your exam increases. In practical terms you should make a mental and written list of the short and long term goals of your forthcoming and far future examinations. If you have not done that yet, you are advised to get a notebook and do so.

In similar vein, your aspiration of becoming a medical doctor, lawyer, accountant, banker, journalist etc should be jotted down in a diary while you allow the positive thought of its attainment to saturate you daily. As human, it is possible that negative thought spring up in your mind but you should deliberately train you mind to retain only the positive thought.

Do not give in to defeat but persevere harder in order to succeed. Do not stop doing what you believe in. ‘’If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth’’ (Mark 9:23). So, always be positive in your thought. For needed motivation, read other books written by the author. These books are must read for everyone who needed a propelling force towards success in academics and other endeavours.

Undoubtedly, you can make a success of your forthcoming examination even if you have failed repeatedly in the past. The antidote is that you set definite goals and pay the price of devoted study.

Perhaps in reality, when you review your past and present academic history, you have recorded more than two or three failed attempts consequently, you see a bleak future with respect to academics. The proven and tested nugget of truth remains that if you do not give up you will succeed. Ponder on the extract below:

Miss Adetutu Wande-Kayode, one of the graduates from the University of Lagos, said, "… I remember the assistance she (my mother) offered me when I had very poor grades in Mathematics in Junior Secondary School. She took it upon herself to teach me personally after school. And then, I went on to have A1 in SSCE, despite the fact that I was in arts department. ‘’ (Source: Page 67 Sunday Punch February 24th 2013).

Adetutu’s grade in SSCE is never a reflection or resemblance of her JSCE’s as deduced from the extract above. She had the best grade possible at the latter end because her mother’s and her own aspiration match their actions at the times failure ravaged her. In sum, you can pass your exam with flying colours regardless of your present academic status if you set goals and act decisively.