Strategy #13: Seize Agency Over Your Job Search

If you were going to make a list of the most important components of an effective job search, what would come in at number one? A great resume or CV? Good experience and qualifications? A bunch of well-rehearsed answers to some predictable interview questions? No, none of these. The single most crucial aspect of any job hunt is agency, the ability to be in control of every decision and every action that you take.

In this strategy article I want to explain why I say this, what agency means to you and how you can make control your best friend as you navigate the choppy waters of a job search. 

Straight off, I’m guessing that you have some questions about the concept of agency, so let me speculate about what they might be. You might even be a little sceptical at this early stage. I mean, this is looking for a new employer that we’re talking about, isn’t it? It’s their decision about when to post a job-vacancy listing and whether to process your application to the next stage or not, right? It’s the employer who selects the candidates who are invited to interview and it’s the hiring manager who takes the final decision to offer you a position or not. Where does agency come into the picture?

All of these questions are perfectly reasonable, but they only apply to a conventional job search and not the transformational one that I advocate. So, here comes one of the major identifying features of my strategy. Instead of allowing the employer to call the shots, you turn the entire job-hunt on its head by asserting agency over everything that happens, right from the start.

Accordingly, you choose if and when to make an approach to an employer who ticks the right boxes for you, whether they’re actively recruiting or not. You make preliminary enquiries about a job you want to do and you decide if it’s worth your while proceeding to the next phase, based on the responses you get. You identify the person who’s got the authority to hire you, then put out your feelers to discover their personal inclinations and work parameters. If you like what you hear, you arrange to meet with them. If not, you don’t.

Crucially, you take full control of meetings which result in a decision to hire you or not. Play your cards right and that decision is yours alone, not the interviewer’s. At no point do you suffer the indignity of rejection, unless you’re the person who’s doing the rejecting of course. And finally, you get to decide whether or not to allow an organisation to become your new employer. Have they proved their worth to you and are they prepared to pay you what you deserve? If so, you select them as your new employer. If not, you pass and move on.

All of this describes my idea of agency during a job search. How does this sound to you? Is the prospect of being in complete control appealing to you, if not a little daunting at this stage? Well, let me assure you that everything I speak about here is entirely possible, provided that you learn the steps to success as well as you possibly can. This article outlines the job-search moves and introduces the footwork you need to get comfortable with, beginning with agency.

Now, let me say that the big majority of job hunters don’t have what it takes to enter the dancefloor that I depict, let alone swing to the beat or take the lead that’s required of them. And that’s fine because I’m only addressing the minority who want to do stuff differently. It’s not my job to force you to get up and boogie if it’s not your thing. Just know that sitting on the side-lines, enviously watching fabulous dancers perform with joy and verve simply isn’t the same as getting into character, grabbing the most desirable partner in the room and having some fun for yourself.

With that dancing analogy out of the way, let’s get specific about the mechanics of agency. I’ve hinted at the power of being in control, and this is actually one of my three guiding principles during an effective job search. I’ll be talking about this in more detail in an upcoming article so make sure you look out for that. Oh, and incidentally, when I speak about being in control and seizing agency, I’m talking about pretty much the same thing, just in case you were wondering.

Control is both an attitude and an action. It’s part of a powerful mindset when you get around to looking for new work, plus a key part of perfect delivery whenever you’re in front of someone who can help you in some way, advocate on your behalf or offer you a position. I’ll begin with the psychological aspect of agency before shifting onto its deployment in the field.

There’s been lots of research into the benefits of agency in the workplace. Being in control of the decisions you take in your job, and being able to proactively influence your actions and outcomes, are key contributors to positive wellbeing, happiness and fulfilment at work. A lack of control, at a general or local level, are seriously bad for you and contribute towards frustration, anxiety and a lack of engagement with your work. Look back at article #5 for more on this or do a quick online search for agency in the workplace.     

This is the reason that control comes it at number one on my list of core job-search principles. It’s what my entire training programme is based upon and if you aspire to any degree of excellence in your working life, I truly believe that you cannot ignore the idea of seizing agency at all times. There’s a lot more about this subject in my complete Job Search Masterclass if you’re interested.

I also believe that you can’t expect to achieve any sort of success unless you feel in control of your work, in the most important respects at the very least. Fulfilling your goals and making the most of your time at work is probably important to you, or it ought to be if you’re switched on. Most of us go to work for around 35 hours a week, for 48 weeks of the year on average, and for over 45 years of our lives. This adds up to a whopping 75,000 hours that we give our employers in a lifetime, give or take. Why not make those hours as good as possible, starting by grabbing agency over what you do and how you do it?

Moving on to control as an action, I’ll keep my powder dry until I get to the article that covers what happens in face-to-face meetings. But let me say, as a sneak preview, that there are ways and means of controlling important meetings that will result in a job offer being made, for example. I’ll explain how the structure and content of what you say and what you do can easily manipulate the format of any employment encounter, but you’ll have to wait for strategy #29 for that. In my full Job Search Masterclass course I give you detailed scripts and conversation flows that easily guide you through any situation you’re likely to experience, so I suggest you take a look at that.

OK, I’m just about finished with this short introduction to agency. It really is a critically-important concept to master so I hope you’ve found today’s ideas helpful and interesting. Next time, I extend the concept of agency by outlining the three job-search principles that underpin my programme, so join me for strategy article #14 when I look at control, differentiation and authenticity.

If you prefer to watch training materials rather than read or listen to them, follow this link to my YouTube channel where you can access the video version of this article;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5raRJzdjNVo

 And finally, if you have any questions about the issues I raise here, or if you'd like to contact me personally, please get in touch via LinkedIn;

https://www.linkedin.com/in/vocationmaster/