Riddle me this, “What does an Accountant, a Garbage Collector, a Lion Trainer and a Doctor all have in common?” Give up? The answer is pretty much nothing.

Yet time and time again, people tell me they are looking for any kind of job.  In other words, they are unsure of what they are looking for but unfortunately, at this point in their lives, they feel they must take anything that will generate a pay cheque.

 Now picture this analogy…

One hot summer afternoon you find yourself walking for a long time in the heat. To quench your thirst, you walk into a little restaurant and behind the counter you see a large jug of ice cold lemonade for sale. You request a large refreshing glass and the salesperson presents you with a hamburger instead of the lemonade?  You then point to the jug behind him; he apologizes and gives you some fries, but no lemonade. Feeling more frustrated, you repeat your request for the lemonade, but he then proceeds to give you an egg. Sad to say you never get your lemonade.

If you were that thirsty walker, would you pay for what you were given or would you leave and find another establishment that would give you exactly what you are looking for? The same can be said about sending your resume to potential employers.

You must give the employers exactly what they are looking for… with a little bit more (but never lie or fabricate things on your resume, it will only cause you more damage.) Otherwise your resume will end up in the ever growing “G” pile for lost resumes.

I do understand being desperate and wanting to make financial ends meet — I myself have been there — but you have to also be realistic. 

I once had a client who lost his job as a Lion and Tiger Trainer due to downsizing, I kid you not. It made me wonder if he lost it due to a lack of available work or were the staff eaten? But I digress…

Now when people tell me they will do any kind of job, I ask them if it would be okay for me to send their resume for a position as a “Lion Trainer.” 10 times out of 10 sheer horror fills their faces and they decline. Yet a “Lion Trainer” actually is a job.

 For that reason, the so called “Any Job” does not exist, it is only a fairy tale.

 Try these four steps to make your fairy tale a reality:

1) Research employers you would like to work for.
2) Focus and tailor your resume to exactly what they are looking for, to make yourself more marketable.
3) Continue to network; it’s not who you know but who knows you that will get you the interview.
4) Keep preserving.

By consistently applying these four steps, you will eventually find your happy ending.