This post was most recently updated on September 19th, 2017

Since, the day I have started my job six years back, I have never felt that this is what I was born to do.

I still remember the 1^st month when I started my job. I felt like crying as I was about to enter the company premises.

I felt like running away.

I recently applied for a content writing job went for interview without any credentials. No one could make out that my educational background was different.

I nailed the interview and learned 2 important lessons.

Most jobs are negotiable.

What they mean by credentials is your ability to provide value. They want someone who can help them earn more money than they are getting. If you can show them this, you get the job.

Forget old strategies for applying for job.

What worked earlier isn’t going to work now. If that was so, I wouldn’t have been called for an interview knowing my degree was in different subject. So I did what anyone else was not doing. Developed skills in my area of interest and tried something new instead of same old ways where everyone is getting mediocre results.

This approach was pretty different than normal job searching.

We have learned that in order to get a job, we should go onto Linkedin or Indeed.com and apply to as many jobs as we can.

But this will rarely work from now.

It’s not only about my own interview. More and more companies are now looking for individuals with more skills than just credentials some of which includes.

1) Creativity.
2) Grit
3) Necessary coding skills.
4) Passion for technology.
5) Leadership.
6) Problem solving skills.

When you see resumes of most of the people, they all say the same lies about being hard worker, people person, passionate and most of them don’t get hired because these things, whether written or not are already reflected in your personality.

From the employer’s perspective, most of these people seem to be a replacement of one another.

And to have a fulfilling career, you don’t want to be replaceable because there are thousands of people like you who are waiting to work where you work for a lesser pay than you get.

Hence, instead of asking “who is hiring?’ we should ask “whom can I help?” and employers are looking for the same thing. Your job is to just prove it to them. That’s it.

How?

Step One: Launch a Website and Start Writing Content.

Applicant #1 has a degree in marketing and a star from one of his professors.

Applicant #2 has no degree, but he’s written 10 articles on topics ranging from social media marketing to customer acquisition. They’re novice, but they show he has an interest in the field, the ability to research and write content, and some real ideas. His website has an about page that shows who he is in a way a resume never could.

Who do you think has the better chance of selection?

Another example.

Chris Guillebeau, bestselling author wrote A brief guide to world domination when he wondered whether he should write a college thesis which will be read by three people or something else. He wrote a brief guide to world domination which has been downloaded 1,00,000 times all over the world making a huge impact on people’s lives.

Step Two: Get ready to work for a smaller company.

There are unsung benefits to working at small businesses, less established companies, and startups.

1. The barrier to entry is normally lower and the opportunities for creativity are higher.
2. There’s less competition.
3. You can often work closely with the founder or CEO, getting an invaluable apprenticeship in your field. A formal job market can’t offer you this. This experience alone can change your career.
4. You can take on multiple roles and learn new things which will be helpful in your career later on.

Step Three: Offer to Work for Free or Cheap if needed or make your offer irresistible.

This might sound contrasting and most difficult option but it can do wonders for you.

Most young people today price themselves much higher than the market demands of them only because they think they have a degree.

Getting a degree was an achievement 30 years ago. Not any more.

Charlie Hoehn wrote Recession Proof Graduate when he pitched himself in front of industry leaders, worked for them and earned what he couldn’t from his degree. He has mentioned in his book how he landed his dream job with Tim Ferriss and also worked with Ramit Sethi and Tucker Max.

Another classic example is how Nina offered a solution to Airbnb by making her offer irresistible.

Can you provide a solution like her?

It’d okay to have a degree but if you just rely on that piece of paper, you are going to get burn out applying for jobs and competing thousands of similar candidates.

Reference: Derek Magill answer on Quora.

Image credit: Pixabay.

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