Understanding Job Search Motivation

The fact that some people are unable to launch a disciplined job search has puzzled career coaches since the profession began. Even the great Dick Bolles, author of “What Color is your Parachute,” admits that he has been troubled by the lack of effective action and job search discipline of normally intelligent job seekers.

I would label this lack of action as “cunning and baffling” because it seems to take on different characteristics by person. Dick characterizes this as an inability to make a connection. These people
don’t see that the solution to their dilemma is a professional job search discipline that Dick teaches in his numerous books.

I often encounter people that are completely puzzled about how to develop a search strategy. They are spending most of the day looking at job postings on the internet, applying and never hearing much from the companies where they applied. They often come to me looking to be
rescued from their job search funk.

Understanding your Social Style and the Social Style of others can improve your chances of landing the right job with the right company. I use the Enneagram's 9 social types to help you understand yourself, improve your pitch and understand your interviewer.

Other tools in this category would be the Holland Code, Strengthfinders, Myers-Briggs and Core Values Index. I like the Enneagram because it has great depth and it is simple to remember and use.

Two of the reference materials that I like to use are the book by Elizabeth Wagele, “The Enneagram Made Easy” and for spiritual depth I like the materials published by Fr. Richard Rohr such as, “Experiencing the Enneagram.”

The rule of thumb before 2009 was that a person could plan to be out of work for one month for
every $10,000 in salary. The job search process in 2010 was about 2 months for every $10,000 in salary. The economy has fully recovered in 2020. The market has flipped; employers cannot find qualified employees. It is important to make it easy for employers to find you and to be clear about the kind of work you want to do, so your network can help you.

Most people have a very weak job search strategy and they tend to “wing it” during interviews. 97% of job seekers search for jobs on-line hoping to find their dream job and are totally disillusioned when they don't hear back or go through one disappointing phone interview.

Before we look at the 9 personality types (social styles), we need to look at the issues that will delay any person from conducting an effective job search.

The number one issue is if you have been traumatized by the loss of your old job. Some people need to grieve the loss and time to recover. Let’s say that you have poured yourself into a business that you conceived and gave birth to – and that business no longer exists. You can’t find a job in your old industry because the whole industry, let’s say real estate (in 2010) is in complete disarray. It is going to take you longer to conduct a new job search.

Let’s look at the situation where the person loses her job and combine that with a tragedy like a death of a loved one or divorce or physical incapacitation. This is a double whammy. If this is you, be kind to yourself. Don’t stress yourself out because you can’t seem to do what you know you need to do to conduct a professional job search. Please get help from bereavement groups, doctors, counselors and a professional coach. Get help, because you are going to need help and you deserve it.

Many people are unaware of how they are perceived by others and they are not that aware of what motivates them to do well at work – or at their job search. Developing a measure of self-awareness is very helpful for most job seekers. It helps a person to describe themselves. It clarifies fuzzy thinking about what type of work they ought to pursue. And it helps in dealing with others that may have been difficult to deal with in the past.

Let’s look at the 9 social styles as detailed by Elizabeth Wagele:

1. The Perfectionist (Reformer) - Motivated by the need to live life the right way, improve yourself and others, and avoid anger.
2. The Helper - Motivated by the need to be loved and appreciated and to express your positive feelings towards others.
3. The Achiever - Motivated by the need to be productive, to achieve success, and to avoid failure.
4. The Romantic (Individualist) - Motivated by the need to understand your feelings and to be understood to search for the meaning of life, and to avoid being ordinary.
5. The Observer (Investigator/Thinker) - Motivated by the need to know everything and understand the universe, to be self-sufficient and left alone, and to avoid not having the answer or looking foolish.
6. The Questioner (Loyalist/Responsible) - Motivated by the need for security, to feel taken care of, or to confront fears.
7. The Adventurer (Enthusiast) - Motivated by the need to be happy and plan fun things, to contribute to the world, and to avoid suffering and pain.
8. The Asserter (Confronter/Challenger) - Motivated by the need to be self-reliant and strong, to make an impact on the world, and to avoid being weak.
9. The Peacemaker - Motivated by the need to keep the peace, merge with others, and avoid conflict.

Which type are you? Everyone has a little of each type but you are primarily one type and you will lean or have a “wing” toward one of the numbers on either side of your major social style.

A free assessment is available at https://www.eclecticenergies.com/enneagram/test.php

I have posted articles on each type so that you can discover your social style and how that is impacting your job search. Find your type and read my article for that social style at:
https://patch.com/users/gene-nokes/articles