What in the… is a purple squirrel?
I promise they don’t exist in reality, but in a recruiter’s world (third-party or HR), they are the holy grail.
Wikipedia defines a purple squirrel as:
…a term used by employment recruiters to describe a job candidate with precisely the right education, experience, and qualifications that perfectly fits a job’s multifaceted requirements. In theory, this prized “purple squirrel” could immediately handle all the expansive variety of responsibilities of a job description with no training and would allow businesses to function with fewer workers.
So, the logical question to ask, then, is: “How do I become a purple squirrel?”
Before anything, it’s about knowing your professional skill set and how it’s transferable to another company. Being a purple squirrel doesn’t mean you have 85 educational degrees, prior CEO experience or have worked alongside Bill Gates. No, it simply means you match the requirements for the job posted.
This means there’s the potential for millions of purple squirrels.
You simply need to find your inner purple squirrel self.
How do you do it?
Be Known in Your Industry and Profession
In today’s world, this is easily done on LinkedIn. Being active on discussions, articles, blogs, groups and network connections are all activities you should be doing now. However, doing just that makes you a phenomenal job seeker, not a purple squirrel.
To take it to the next level, you need to start gaining speaking engagements, notoriety from other websites and blogs and become the rainmaker of networking.
Quick and easy secrets:
- To gain speaking engagements, simply ask people while networking. Most of them will be pro bono, but it will be worth it.
- To gain notoriety from websites and blogs, write for them! Reach out to the website owner (webmaster) and ask them if you can contribute.
- Finally, the rainmaker of networking. This one is straightforward: If you think you’re already networking enough… Nope, go network more!
Identify Your VP
VP stands for “value proposition.” You should have one, you should know what it is, and you should know how to deliver it.
Let’s go over the basics (then you’ll need to perfect it):
- Who cares about your value?
- How will/can you deliver on that value?
- What differentiates you from your competition, and what immediate impact can you have?
- Why should someone hire you?
If you can answer these four questions and fold them into a cohesive paragraph or two, you’re on your way to becoming purpler! (Totally not a word, I know.)
You Gotta Have Passion
For me, this is the most important value a purple squirrel has — they love what they do.
No matter what industry, profession or level you are, I’d be willing to bet I can train you to do recruiting (or any job, for that matter). I’d also be willing to bet that with good training, after about six months, you’d be pretty good at that job. But you know what I’d also be willing to bet? After about six months, you would be miserable.
Why? Because you wouldn’t be passionate about what you’re being trained on, and that’s the secret. Every hiring manager knows they can train you on any deficiency you have on your resume, but they can’t train you to be passionate. (Tweet this thought.)
This one is hard to give you a takeaway on, because either you have it or don’t. That’s why it’s so important to work with a career coach to get yourself on the right path with something you’re passionate about.
These are the basic building blocks to get you on your way to becoming a purple squirrel. Love what you do, be known for it and be able to communicate why you’re the best.
We are all the best at something, and it doesn’t matter what that something, is because I can guarantee you there’s a company out there looking for your something. Presentation is everything. Get your ducks in a row, and make it happen!
How can you make yourself “purpler”?
Marc DeBoer is the founder of A Better Interview. After spending many years as a corporate recruiter and headhunter, he decided to take that knowledge to the general public. A Better Interview, LLC was established to help guide people through the job search process in addition to providing interview coaching. Go to www.abetterinterview.com/blog for their blog!
Image: Photobucket
