You have done the work to know these things about your career. You know:
- what you are good at
- what kind of place you do your ideal work
- the role you want
(If you don’t know those things – here is a good place to start)
And then you hit the job listings and can’t see a posting of that position anywhere.
All is not over. You can propose your ideal position to a company, and people do this successfully every day. But, there is an art to it.
I have heard this technique backfiring on people who haven’t taken the time to figure out these three things.
- What are the company strengths?
- What are their short term and long term goals?
- What is their plan?
Their Strengths
Proposing a new job can backfire if you neglect to honor the work the organization has already done. You can’t call an organization and act like some savior who is going to solve all their problems. Come from a place of acknowledging that the organization existed before you heard of them and they have ideas and strengths.
They have wisdom. Identify those pieces first. And then plan on how your strengths and skills help them with their next move.
Their Goals
What does success look like to them in the short and long-term? If you propose a new job, but it is not a match for what they want to happen, you’re not a great fit.
Their Plans
This might be the hardest part to find out, but it is important to know. If they have already mapped out their next moves, you can’t come in and tell them they have it all wrong. But, you can look for ways to meld your skills into their existing plan or extend it.
Once you know these three things, you can write a proposed job from a place of knowing exactly how you would help based on reality, and not an assumption.
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