As a Job Seeker, Are You Really Hungry?

Image Credit: Ronald Carreño

Wanting “easy” is why most people underestimate the time and effort it takes to achieve success—whether that’s shooting a round of golf under 85, running a marathon, starting a six-figure consulting business, making it in Hollywood, or finding a job that aligns with their career goals.

As white-collar jobs decline and competition for the remaining positions rises, a job seeker’s level of hunger becomes a crucial factor in their job search success.

A determined job seeker leaves no stone unturned. They hyperfocus on one goal: securing employment. They don’t point fingers or buy into the narrative that “the hiring system is broken.”

Worth noting: No two hiring managers assess candidates in the same way; therefore, a universal “hiring system” doesn’t exist.  

Hungry job seekers keep their eyes on the prize and do whatever it takes to acquire it. As Henry David Thoreau said, “Success usually comes to those who are too busy to be looking for it.”

Whether intentionally or not, job seekers are associating the current hyper-competitive job market, paired with Millennials and Gen Zs beginning to take on gatekeeping roles in the workplace, bringing their own perspectives on work ethic professionalism, with a broken hiring system, which, as I mentioned, doesn’t exist. Hiring processes aren’t broken; employers are responding to the realities of supply and demand. Meanwhile, younger generations are modifying hiring processes to suit their preferred communication styles, and, like previous generations before, tend to lean towards candidates whom, for the most part, they can relate to.

When interacting with recruiters and hiring managers, job seekers tend to lead with their skills and experience. While these are important, they’re only the initial factors an employer considers. A candidate can possess all the qualifications but still lack the hunger for:

• The company and its values
• Their profession
• The industry
• Career progression

It’s a common misconception that hunger is hard to spot. Most hiring managers will tell you they recognize hunger when they see it; I certainly do. Signs that the candidate is hungry are important, as hunger fuels a person’s drive to excel, whether it’s for career growth, financial security, or to afford an annual European cruise. A candidate’s chances of hearing “You’re hired!” significantly increase when their interviewer perceives them as hungry and thus views them as the ideal employee, someone with intrinsic motivation.

You’re probably asking, “Nick, what are the signs that a candidate is hungry?”

Actions speak louder than words. What a candidate does is far more important than what they say. Which candidate is hungrier?

CANDIDATE A: Arrives 10 minutes early for the interview.

CANDIDATE B: Arrives right on time or five minutes late.

CANDIDATE A: Has grammatical errors throughout their resume and LinkedIn profile.

CANDIDATE B: Has an error-free resume and LinkedIn profile.

CANDIDATE A: Pushes back on doing a 45-minute assignment.

CANDIDATE B: Welcomes the assignment to showcase their skills.

CANDIDATE A: Doesn’t send a thank-you note.

CANDIDATE B: Sends a well-crafted thank-you note with additional insights about their impact on previous employers.

Your actions, especially those visible to employers, reveal a great deal about your hunger and professionalism. No LinkedIn profile picture or banner? Not hungry. Only wanting a remote job? Not hungry.

A hungry job seeker can be identified by:

Their networking efforts.

Hungry job seekers constantly reach out to everyone and anyone because they understand that job opportunities are all around them. The catch is they’re attached to people; therefore, they know building relationships is how they uncover the jobs that are all around them.

Including a cover letter.

Not including a cover letter is lazy. Hungry job seekers leave nothing to chance; therefore, they include a cover letter that provides compelling reasons for employers to read their resume and visit their LinkedIn profile.

Showing evidence of impact.

Claiming “I’m a team player” or “I’m good at sales” is just an unsubstantiated opinion about yourself. Expecting employers to hire you based on your self-judgment shows you’re unwilling to put in the effort to provide the information—numerical evidence of the impact you had on your previous employers—they need to assess your potential value.

They’ve crafted an elevator speech.

Writing and memorizing a 30-second elevator speech, a summary of who you are and what you offer, is an effort most job seekers won’t bother with. When I hear a well-prepared elevator speech, I know I’m talking to someone who’s hungry.

The best elevator speech I received: “I sold Corvettes in Las Vegas.”

Not having a sense of entitlement.

Nothing turns off an employer faster than a sense of entitlement. Hungry job seekers understand they must earn their way through an employer’s hiring process. They don’t expect special treatment, exceptions, or to be “given a chance.”

Due to the global economy and ever-changing consumer demands, companies are constantly striving to remain competitive and profitable by operating as lean as possible. The days of employers hand-holding their employees are long gone. Today, companies often have a “swim or sink” culture. Astute hiring managers know that candidates whose actions demonstrate a hunger for job search success are most likely to have the necessary motivation to succeed in a new job on their own.

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Nick Kossovan, a well-seasoned corporate veteran, offers “unsweetened” job search advice. Send Nick your job search questions to artoffindingwork@gmail.com.