This week I took away some job hunting lessons in a most unexpected manner—from summer bird visitors to our home in the North Country of Minnesota!
I love it when in late spring we can put out our Hummingbird feeders. The Hummingbirds are great entertainment! For several years, we also tried to attract the Baltimore Orioles that summer in our region. We put out a wooden Oriole house with grape jelly and oranges a couple years. Not a sign of them. We then resorted to buying a special green and orange Oriole feeder that we filled with nectar. Nope; nada; zip. So this year, we were resigned to the fact that we were not going to see these beautiful orange and black birds, and were content to welcome our Hummingbird friends.
What a pleasant surprise we had a few days ago—a male Oriole perched on the Hummingbird feeder that hangs in view of our lakeside window! At first, he was obviously frustrated that he could not use the small holes. Within a short time, he had punched through the tape on one of the yellow plastic flowers (to keep ants out), gaining full access to the delicious nectar!
At this writing we have multiple Orioles and the Hummingbird set, all taking turns at the same feeder. It is the hot spot around here!
Watching all these birds find and take to the feeder has been so much fun! Of course we did not forget our other birds; my husband filled up other feeders with seeds to welcome the Chickadees, Nuthatches, Goldfinches, Redwing Blackbirds, Bluebirds and other feathered friends. It occurred to me this morning, that there are some lessons for job hunters in this experience.
Job Hunting: Key Lessons
- Keep your feeder full. Once the birds discovered the feeder, they expected it to be stocked regularly with sugar water. It ran dry yesterday, and they were visibly not happy! In job hunting, do you have a full LinkedIn profile? Content on Twitter or perhaps through your own website or blog so that when someone searches for you, you have a holistic online presence?
- Use fresh seed. There was seed left over from last summer in the bird feeders, but not until stale seeds were replaced with fresh, did the birds really flock to the feeders. Then they were all over it! Do your resume and other communications reflect today’s best practices—rich with focus, branding and success stories? If you’re still using a vague objective; or saying things like “I just want a job,” it may be time to freshen up your marketing.
- Birds will tell other birds. One day it was just Daddy Oriole. Soon Mommy came. We now have a whole group. As a job hunter, this is the essence of networking. Tell those you know about your job search. Ask them to let others know. If you are easy to find and promote your value, people will talk; opportunities will come.
I also noticed that in the bird world, the aggressive ones may eat first. But many others are patient but persistent. They get their turn. Do you have other ideas about job search lessons you’d like to share?
Photo: Doug Wertman
