What is influence and how does it pertain to your job search? If you are looking for ways to stand apart from the over crowded human capital pool, consider your abilities to influence others. In today’s job market, winning that coveted interview leading to a job requires the job seeker to become a target marketer.
But even with the best research, including desired companies and hiring managers, job seekers must be able to influence people in order to capture the interview leading to that desired position.
What is Influence?
In his interview for Guy Kawasaki’s fantastic must read “Reality Check”, Dr. Robert Cialdini PhD, Professor of Psychology at Arizona State University, and one of the world’s leading experts on persuasion, compliance, and negotiation defines influence:
“Influence means creating change in some way. Change can be in an attitude, it can be in a perception, or a behavior. But in all instances, we can’t lay claim to influence until we can demonstrate we have changed someone.”
Influence a “Science” for All
According to Dr. Cialdini the good news about influence is that it is no longer just for certain “gifted” individuals. Instead Cialdini insists:
“For centuries, the ability to be influential and persuasive has been thought of as an art, but there’s also a science to it. And if it’s scientific, it can be taught. It can be learned. So we all have the potential to become more influential.”
Influence Your Job Search
With the trend for job search turning to proactive target marketing and social media tools within an employment campaign, the natural progression for a job seeker is influence. How to influence hiring managers and persuade companies to give you a interview is the ultimate goal.
If you want to understand the importance of being influential in your job search, come back for my next installment in the series: “Job Seekers: Utilize 6 Ingredients of Influence.”
