Who owes me a job? The quick answer is: No one! I think this is a common fallacy that is trained into us from infancy.
See, from your earliest memories, people have been providing for you. You just arrived at the dinner table and there was the food. You had a birthday and people gave you presents just for having been born, but you had nothing to do with it! If you were un-lucky, your parents gave you an allowance, just for staying alive for another week. If you went to school, everything was provided for you, all of your books, papers, pencils, locker…. just there, ready for your use.
You got through high school and you looked around for a college. The college said that you could apply for financial aid so that you didn’t have to pay it yourself. You arrived at college, your parents provided you with a car, money for books, spending money…. You graduated and everyone told you how great you are, how wonderful it is that you actually got through your classes and now you have this diploma, as if it was some great accomplishment.
You steped out of the graduation party, woke up the next morning and thought to yourself, “Well, who is going to give me a job?” No one came running to answer that question and you were stunned! What happened? Where is this job that everyone said you should get? Why aren’t you in that dream job with the secretary out front screening your calls? What went wrong?
Who can you blame? Why aren’t things the way they “should” be? This isn’t what I had in mind!
We blame everyone else that we don’t have a job. We blame our boss that we don’t make more money. We blame the government for unemployment……
Well, wake up! You don’t have anyone to blame but yourself. No one “owes” you a job.
Now you need a real education! No one really taught you how jobs, income, promotions, raises and such actually work. Things have been handed to you as if you deserved them just for existing and breathing the air around you. Well, real life isn’t like that.
Jobs 101
Let me start by asking you a question:
If I gave you $100 would you give me $20? No, this isn’t a trick question, it is real. If I gave you $100, would you give me $20? Now, how many times would you do it? (The answer is “as many times as I could!”) So, in this example, you are the employer and I am the employee. If I produce $100 worth of sales for you, would you pay me $20 to do it? YES! And a thousand times, YES!
The way jobs work is you go and work for someone, if your work produces $100 worth of benefit, the employer will be happy to give you $20. Every time you produce $100, the employer can give you $20. It is that simple. If you arrive at your job and you spend the first 25 minutes doing nothing but getting your coffee, arranging your desk….. You made $0.00 for your employer. What can he pay you? Nothing! In fact, you owe him money, you used his chair, computer, equipment, area and coffee and you haven’t produced anything for him.
One of the companies I own is a Lawn Maintenance company. We cut grass for residential customers. Each lawn is rated in “credits”. One lawn might be worth 1.2 credits. When we hire workers we explain that we do not pay them by the hour, we pay them by the credit. I know that each credit is $45 that we are charging the customer, so a 1.2 credit lawn pays the company (1.2 X 45) $54. If I agreed to pay my employee $12/credit, he would receive $14.40 (1.2 X 12) for that job. If he can do the job in 45 minutes, he would get the equivalent of $19.19 per hour. Now, how many lawns do you think I would like him to do? For every $14.40 of labor he is producing $54 for the company. He is giving me $54 and in return I am giving him $14.40. I still get $39.60 to go towards equipment, overhead, taxes and such.
So, in this example, how could my employee make more money? By making me more money! Simple as that.
In your job, it might be a bit different but the principle is the same, you figure out how to make more money for the company, they will have more money to pay you. Keep that up and you will be making the “big bucks” sooner than you think!
Jobs 102
Ok, now you understand what a job is, now how do you get a job?
You get a job by studying a business and seeing how you can fit into that business and make the employer more prosperous. You show the interviewer that you have thought this through and you show him/her that you bring certain skills to the business that will help them make more money. Out of that increase, you want to receive a certain percentage.
Here is an example:
You decide you want to work for XYZ corporation. You study their website. You learn that they are in the business of making widgets. You figure out what is required to make widgets. You see that you are good at using your hands, assembling things. Okay, now we are getting somewhere.
Now, you ask to talk to someone about working there. You research who to talk to, you call them and ask if you can interview them to see if there could be a mutual benefit here. Once you have a set time and day, you walk in with a proposal on how you will help them make more widgets.
If you present the plan well enough to the company, it will be a no-brainer for them to hire you. You are telling them that if they pay you $10, you will produce $50 worth of benefit to them. That is what business and employees is all about.
You are also telling them that you understand what an employee is, you understand where the benefit comes from, you understand how to become more prosperous yourself and help the business at the same time. Believe me; this will make you stand out.
But why stop there? If you really want to stand out, you can offer to work for them for a reduced amount or even for free with the understanding that once you become productive you will set the wage to something that works for everyone. Employers have to spend a lot of money bringing a new person on, while this person is learning, there is no income. If you tell the prospective employer that you are taking the risk, not them; they will see that you not only understand business, you have great faith and confidence in yourself and your work ethic. Now you’re talking!
I have helped a good number of young people to get the job they want by using these simple methods. Decide where you want to work and you can end up working there.
So, who owes you a job? No one! But you can get any job you want if you just try. Go get um!
Dave Tucker is a businessman that tries to do as little as possible. Having been a Missionary Kid in Mexico, then a missionary and now a businessman, he used Proverbs to figure out how to do business and now owns 3 companies that write software, maintain landscaping and invest in real estate. He and his wife, Karin, are on the board of El Hogar Educador, a Home School support organization for Latin America. They travel to Mexico and do conferences as well as speak at various organizations, including Christian Business associations. Dave loves mentoring and helping young men that are serious about maturing and becoming responsible adults.
www.goalsforguys.com www.gideonsstrength.com www.clip.com
You can reach him at: dave@clip.com
