Posted under Career Management, Career Planning, Job Search, Social Networking on March 9th, 2008
My two favorite indoor “sports” are careers and politics; a recent book written by Chris Matthews makes some interesting observations about the intersection of these endeavors.
Life’s A Campaign: What Politics Has Taught Me About Friendship, Rivalry, Reputation, and Success is the latest book written by this journalist and TV pundit; I renewed it from the Library so I could share a few thoughts that might spark some conversation from readers…
Matthews, (who confesses to his terrible listening skills) , suggests that:
“The whole trick of life is therefore to (a) find people who like you on first meeting, (b) put effort into winning over those people you can, and (c) recognize those whom, to use Donald Trump’s phrase, you need to ‘work around.’ This is what politicians call campaigning. It’s something you’ll find you have to do in life even if you never run in a single election.”
So, what about it - do successful candidates employ similar strategies when seeking career change or transition? Are we correct to refer to the job search process as a campaign?
- Clearly, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are candidates for the same job? Have you ever competed with a “friendly foe” for the same job? What happened to the relationship after the position was filled? While it is not likely that the outcome of this a contest will result in a “win-win,” must the outcome produce both a winner and a loser?
- Is there something about the terminology, “job search campaign,” that symbolizes the process as “sport” at the expense of work/life planning?
- How are the voters and/or the press doing in fulfilling the role of “hiring managers?” Have we referred the right candidates on for the final interview?
- What role will the Super Delegates play? Are they the Senior Management team or CEO?
What can career changers and job seekers learn from the experience of these political candidates? What can advice can experienced career managers offer to the politicians?
cross-posted on Career Acceleration Notes
Print This Post