Your time is valuable, but they’re getting paid for theirs
➔ During a job search the concept of time takes on a whole new and different meaning. When you were working it was rush here, rush there, hurry up with this, what’s taking so long… You may have felt like time was your enemy.
Now you’re in the middle of your job search and time looks very different. Suddenly the urgency isn’t quite to intense. Sure you have a sense of urgency insofar as finding a job – also known as the big picture. But now, on any given day, at any given moment, you’ve got time to spare. No more pressure to do this or that… NOW!
You are your own master
For the most part, you control your time and your schedule. With that mindset it’s easy to forget that the people out there with whom you’re dealing don’t have the luxury of setting their own schedules. Their days are still rush-rush, hurry-hurry.
Yes, people who are working have very little spare time and you need to be mindful and to be respectful of that. They just can’t drop what they’re doing to meet you for a cup of coffee at 10:00 a.m. They still have a boss to whom they have to answer.
When it comes to scheduling time with them, your motto should be “deferential.” Defer to their schedules. Defer to their availability. Defer to the limited that they can spend with you. Always schedule meetings to comply with their space and time. You can afford to be flexible. They can’t.
Even if you have to drive out of your way, or meet at a location that is inconvenient for you, do what you have to do to make the meeting happen. Most people will recognize that and they’ll remember that.
It’s part of what you have to do to get the job you want.
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