By Jeff Altman, Big Game Hunter
When the United States elects a president, the country seems uninterested in nominating, let alone electing someone who works at a university.
Instead, the country seems to select those who went to good schools, became lawyers, participated in politics, and rose to the rank of U.S. Senator or Governor before being nominated (with the exception of our current president).
When a government agency hires a social worker, the agency usually hires someone with a degree in social work who has worked in an agency that provides similar services to the population. Maybe this person is bilingual (Spanish-English is the norm in the US, but a different second language may be needed to serve other populations), has a certain number of years of experience and is willing to make a certain amount of money.
For example, if you work in technology and are at the project manager level, employers will try to hire people who have experience working their way up from developer to project manager, have worked in technology, managed a certain number of people, worked in certain organizations and achieved certain goals. Maybe, they have some certifications. This is a simplification. . . You get it.
If we go back in time, they attended certain schools for the chance of being hired by their first employer. They achieve certain grades to be considered for these jobs or companies. Along the way, they take internships or part-time jobs at specific businesses. . .
You can see some patterns in the way companies select people for specific jobs. Even now as an accomplished professional, you need to look at the patterns your target employer uses to hire employees and lay the groundwork for a job change later on.
Does this opportunity align with where you want to be three years from now? 10 years? In your career?
One thing clients teach recruiters is not only what skills they are looking to hire, but also what experience they are looking for, thereby determining which companies they target for the talent they hire.
You want to be a CFO in some type of organization, find the pattern and follow it.
Chief Technology Officer or Chief Information Officer? Do the same thing.
There are exceptions, but that’s how it is.
Exceptions.
It’s always easier to get where you want by swimming against the current than against it.
© The Big Game Hunter, Inc., Asheville, NC 2013, 2019, 2025
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About Big Game Hunter Jeff Altman
People hire “Big Game Hunter” Jeff Altman to provide no-nonsense career advice around the world because he makes so many things in people’s careers easier. These things may involve job hunting, recruiting more effectively, managing and leading better, career transitions, and advice on solving workplace problems. He is the producer and former host of “No BS Job Search Advice Radio,” the #1 job search podcast on iTunes with over 3,000 episodes.
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