Create More Wins In 2017: Think Like A Capitalist

If you can think like a capitalist when interviewing for a position, you’ll top trying to win the job. Instead, you’ll take the smartest risks.

If I can teach you one thing to make you more successful in the new year, it’s to behave more like a capitalist when you interview for a new job. The thing is, capitalists invest for the long term on faith, with no guarantee of a return.

Sounds risky, doesn’t it? Hello —the potentially big rewards of capitalism and investment are based on taking risks. In today’s age of big data, analytics, “intelligent algorithms,” and “expert systems,” everyone’s trying to convince you that their “job solution” minimizes or eliminates your risks. In other words, today’s marketing teaches you to expect a win.

That’s why people ask me, “How can I win this interview and win this job?” instead of asking, “How can I create value in this interview, even if I lose?” Everyone is so focused on a win that they miss the value of collateral benefits that can arise from capitalist behavior.

Take A Risk On Faith

The secret is, stop trying to win the job. Instead, think about taking the smartest risks. Being a capitalist means investing intelligently with no guarantee of a return on your investment. That’s the risk. What’s smart is realizing that a return on investment usually takes time. That’s where faith comes in.

Consider the popular credo, “Perform random acts of kindness.” Except that it’s random, that’s a form of capitalism, as is the practice of “paying it forward.” Both require faith first and foremost—a positive attitude about the future. By doing good things, you help make the world a better place, which in turn might make your own life better. To a capitalist, an investment is worth a risk because of myriad potential rewards that cannot be easily calculated or predicted.

Invest In The Job Interviewer

How does this apply to job interviews?

No one wants to be rejected for a job. But it should be no surprise when I tell you most interviews result in rejection. You can bemoan losing, or you can have faith and make an investment anyway.

When your interview is done, and it seems the job is not for you, or it seems you cannot convince the employer you’re right for the job (even though you think you are), leave some good things behind with the idea of helping the employer right now, even if it might never pay off for you. For example:

• Stop talking about the job and ask, “Is there anything I can do to help you or your company in any other way?”
• If you know one, recommend another good candidate for the job.
• If you can foster some other relationship that might benefit the company, do it. For instance, you might offer a sales lead or a business referral.
• After your interview, if you read an article the employer might find useful, send a copy along with your compliments—and with an indication that you’re thinking about the same business issues the employer thinks about. But refrain from talking about the job anymore. Talk only about how the information might benefit the employer.

Where Good Things Come From

There was a popular saying in the 1960s: “If you love something, let it go. If it was meant to be yours, it will come back.” Trust me when I tell you that if you have met a fine person and established a professional rapport, at some time, somewhere, on some level, the opportunity might come back. It’s more likely to come back if you send it off in good faith by investing in it anyway.

This kind of professional exchange—in the face of a loss—is the foundation of a headhunter’s success. People say “no” to me far more often than they say “yes.” But my success depends on planting capitalist seeds that at some time, somehow, lead to more business for me far into the future. So I invest even when I lose because over time, business is never a zero-sum game.

Learn to make capitalist investment and faith part of your new year. See what good comes out of taking more risks to help the other guy win, even if you lose.