From Rejection to Connection: How Emotion Can Land You Your Next Job

You know what really sucks?

It’s sending out CV after CV but just getting that standard rejection email or once again, making it all the way to the last interview only to be told you were not successful!

Maybe you’ve been in this situation yourself but I find that many people will experience this scenario at some point in the career.

I was recently working with Simon, who came to me for guidance because he was in this exact situation.

He was extremely frustrated and demotivated because he had all the right skills, education and experience but somehow, he just wasn’t landing it. In fact, his landing was more of a crash and burn.  

He just couldn’t understand where he was going wrong or what he was missing and this had been going on for months.

I wanted to see if I could pinpoint where the issue was, so did some digging, starting at the most obvious place – his CV. After all, this is where a lot of his rejections where coming from.

When I read through his CV, all I saw were dry facts, figures and boring statements that described his career. But there was no ‘hook’ – it was devoid of all life – in fact a dead frog on a hot road had more going for it.

Simply put, his value proposition was literally non-existent. There was nothing in his story that sparked any positive emotional response to inspire people to reach out and connect with him.

You see…

Emotion is the Big Connector.

Let me give you an example.

Let’s say you just bought a new pair of shoes. Now you could have chosen from literally 1000s of different types of shoes because at the end of the day, they all pretty much do the same thing which is to protect your feet from harsh surfaces.

But no!

You bought that particular pair of shoes because of how it made you feel when you wore them and how they looked on you. And when you wore them, you didn’t just walk, you strutted.

You valued it because you connected with it.

How much of that purchase was tied to the object’s practical function versus how it made you feel?

You see, people buy on emotion because they feel a connection to that object.

The same thing happens in the job market!

To ensure your career progression is a successful one and that your message really resonates with people, you gotta have these two crucial ingredients:

For that to happen, you need to understand what value you bring to the table and why people should care. You see, your value is attached to the outcomes you can help businesses or even individuals achieve.

So, like Vito Corleone in the movie, The Godfather, you gotta “make them an offer they can’t refuse”.

Your story needs to connect with people on an emotional level, just like those shoes!!!

You gotta make the reader feel something, even if it’s a case of FOMO if they don’t contact you to find out more.

 

Now, regarding your brand message, whether it’s in your CV, LinkedIn profile or in an interview, ask yourself the following questions:

What’s my value proposition that’s unique and makes me stand out from the competition?

What do I bring to the table that they HAVE to have?

How can I make them BETTER?

How does my USP (Unique Value Proposition) spark feeling in those who read my message or hear what I have to say? What do I want them to feel?

Most people (dare I say it, all people) at their core, want to feel a sense of being connected.

So, when it comes to your next job application, please, I beg you, don’t be dry and boring.

Make someone FEEL something for crying out loud because that’s how you create connection.