Choose Your Employer, Dont Let The Employer Choose You

Choose Your Employer, Dont Let The Employer Choose YouChoose Your Employer, Dont Let The Employer Choose YouIf youre looking for a new job, first decide what you care about and what your values are. Do you care about transparency, honesty, doing good, etc.? And once you know that, you can select the businesses that you want to work with, not the other way round.To understand the importance and process of choosing an employer, I had a chat with Louis Grenier, Hotjars content strategist. His career path exemplifies that no matter how long it takes, its worth looking for what youre passionate about. Even if the first step is failure.You cant know what the right direction is until you go the wrong direction firstBefore finding his passion for absatzwirtschaft, Louis studied mechanical engineering in Orlans (an hour from Paris), armed with a dream to someday build wind turbines. It took him almost 3 years, but he eventually realized that his real talent lies not in building things but in persuading and understanding people. He ditched mechanical engineering and pursued a degree in business and marketing.My dad has been a teacher all his life. He studied to become a teacher and hes been a teacher for over 40 years. In peoples minds, this is how it should be. But I dont believe this is the case. I dont believe anyone should chase that objective.His next adventure towards his real passion was moving to Ireland where he spent over 3 years working in project management at Renault. Then his journey continued and he got a marketing job at a mobile marketing startup. There, I made many, many mistakes and learned a lot through the experience. But he was much mora intrigued to do his own thing. Thats when he started a consulting business.During that time, I started to differentiate between bad and good marketing, the type of marketing you wouldnt notice because its so good, he said. And thats when he knew what he wanted to fight against. Shady, in-your-face-marketing.Good mar keting starts with people first, not profits.He started interviewing people who are doing good marketing and launched his digital marketing podcast, Everyone Hates Marketers, as a side project.Its all about tranquilityHaving his own business came with a huge amount of stress and pressure on the relationship with his fiance (now wife), while the podcast was fast becoming the only thing he enjoyed about his work. Thats when he decided to shut the business down, continue with the podcast, and look for a full-time job.Yet, in spite of what could seem like time wasted, when I asked whether hed change anything if he could go back in time, his answer was a definite no.I believe that its very unlikely to find what you want to do all your life when youre 18 years old. Its all about tranquility. The tranquility to know that no matter what, you will get where you wanted to go at some point. But you dont know where to go until you make a few mistakes and go through stuff that you dont like.He d ecided there were only two companies he would consider working for Hotjar and Basecamp. Both choices were based on the values and the culture the companies have. Ive been using Hotjars tool before in the business. I knew the tool inside out, and I knew it was a remarkable product. That means once you use it, you will naturally talk about it. Its a pride on its own.After I asked what advice hed give to job seekers, he mentioned these three key pointsDecide what you genuinely care about and what your values are.Do you care about transparency, honesty, business that is involved in green energy, or maybe just doing good? Then find a business thats in line with your values and apply there.Be picky.Dont go to job boards and pick any job that fits your skills and experience. Be picky about what suits you best.Choose a remarkable product or service.Before you apply, try the companys product or service. Ask yourselfDoes the product or service have befhigung?Do you like it? What do you like about it?Are people talking about it in a positive light?Is it growing on its own is it its own marketing channel?If you have those two, youll work in a company thats naturally great. There wont be any type of tough targets to reach because theyre trying to get by, and youre gonna feel good and connected with their culture.Related articlesSanta Claus the man whos never changed his jobWhat should a cover letter include in 2018?8 Persuasion Techniques to Change Anyones MindRelated articlesSanta Claus the man whos never changed his jobWhat should a cover letter include in 2018?8 Persuasion Techniques to Change Anyones MindOn your resume, its better to have more than just a regular career pathWhen we got to talking about resumes, Louiss advice was categorical. Your resume should show employers what youve done outside of your job that proves that youre passionate about something. Match at least one of your passions with a side project. If you have that, I guarantee that youll be much m ore likely to find something. Because people will trust that you can do the job.It feels like Louiss story was built on Seth Godins words build the spinner and spin the wheel. And Louis would know, his podcast became successful enough that Godin himself was interviewed on it.Instead of trying to make the perfect career move, Louis kept on trying new things and side projects, even founded his own company. When it didnt work out, he moved on and continued trying. And when applying for a job at Hotjar, he made sure he demonstrated that. Showcasing side projects on a resume didnt only tell employers that Louis had a life outside of his 9-to-5. It also improved his creativity, facilitated learning, and acted as a great self-development tool.If you need inspiration on how to include side projects on your resume, have a look at Louiss example.