Get Career Fit, 2nd Edition

CHAPTER 7 Influence

How will you enter the market?

‘How very little can be done under the spirit of fear.’

Florence Nightingale

When I first entered the workforce, I was given a piece of advice by a family friend that has always stuck with me: ‘It’s not about always being the best when it comes to getting hired. People want to work with people they like. Be likable. If they like you, they’ll hire you.’

This is still true today. You’ll see it play out in hiring and promotion, sales and other business decisions, and your network’s willingness to support you. Everything is just so much easier to do when people like you. When they like you, they are willing to help you.

You can’t leap careers without getting yourself out into the market — meeting new people, seeking advice, finding advocates and getting job interviews.

Look at TV host Jimmy Fallon. He’s certainly good, but a lot of people say he’s not the best TV presenter out there. He’s got one big thing going for him, though — he’s incredibly likable.

He speaks highly of his competitors. He’s sincere, authentic and down to earth. He listens, really listens, to what his interviewees have to say (unlike other presenters who talk too much while engaged in the conversation).

If you look at Jimmy Fallon’s career, you’ll see how he has strategically built the right networks to help him with his success. In a relatively short time, he went from being a cast member on Saturday Night Live to hosting Late Night to hosting the world’s ...