#007 - Alive Time Or Dead Time?

1) Alive Time or Dead Time?

2) Q&A (ageism, what candidates could improve during interviews, how to get noticed by headhunters)

3) In Conclusion

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Alive Time or Dead Time?

I’m sure you’ve had the single friend who’s always talking about how they’re single and how they wish they had a partner and how they’re worried they’ll be alone forever.

But when you ask them about what they’re doing to not be single, well, they’re not going to places where potential partners might be because they’re “always so tired.” They’re not on dating apps because they want to “meet someone in real life.” They’re not putting themselves out there in any real way because it never works out so “what’s the point.”

You can’t help but feel frustrated. They could be using all the free time they had to get a partner but instead they use it to make excuses.

It reminds me of a concept the authors Robert Greene and Ryan Holiday talk about: Alive Time or Dead Time.

Dead time is when you let time use you. You sit around and wait for things to happen. There’s a sense of entitlement to it, that things will happen to you just because you’re you.

Alive time is when you use your time. You make the most of whatever’s in front of you, even if you don’t love it, even when it’s not exactly what you want, because you know there’s always something to be gained, some useful way to use your time.

Dead time is even more insidious when you already have a job. If the job is fine and you know how to do it and it pays the bills, it’s easy to fall into complacency. Before you know it, years have passed and you’re still in the same place: comfortable but not fulfilled.

As author Ryan Holiday writes, “Life is constantly asking us, Is this going to be alive time or dead time?”

Will you veg out in front of the TV? Or will you reach out to a few people in your network to re-connect?

Will you ‘doom scroll’? Or will you update your CV or resume so you’re ready to go when a job comes up?

Will you say you’re too tired to look for a new job? Or will you do just one thing to move your job search forward?

(I’m not advocating for ‘hustle culture’ but to pretend this isn’t going to take work is silly.)

Dead time can still be insidious when you don’t have a job and are looking for one. The insidiousness (apparently it’s a word) here is that you might think you’re being productive when you aren’t.

Are you connecting with a load of recruiters on LinkedIn and asking them to review your CV or resume or to ‘pick their brain’? Or are you connecting with a few choice recruiters and potential hiring managers and sending them a short, personalised message?

Are you just clicking the ‘Easy Apply’ button on LinkedIn so you can apply to as many roles as possible? Or are you applying only for roles you’re very qualified for, tailoring your CV and applications as needed, and doing your best to connect with potential recruiters and hiring managers afterwards and messaging them to let them know you’ve applied?

Are you always trying to connect with new people on LinkedIn? Or are you reaching out to people you already know to ask for help? (The latter will give you a much better return on investment.)

Doing the first set of things will probably lead to burnout. They’re all low return-on-investment things. You’ll be putting in a lot of effort and getting nowhere. How could that not result in feeling burnt out?

And no, I’m not saying you have to use every waking second to look for a new job. Taking the time to do one of your hobbies or to work out or to spend time with your partner or to just, you know, relax (scrolling doesn’t count) is a great use of time. That would be you using your time, not letting time use you.

Alive time or dead time?

Not much is in our control, but that is.

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Q&A

1. How to combat ageism?

It’s a shame I even have to address this but it’s important.

First, don’t put graduation dates on your CV or resume. They’re rarely relevant. I’d also consider not putting any dates on your CV that are over 10 years ago unless you’re going for a very senior role (in which case you can go up to 20). Most mid-level and even senior roles won’t ask for more than 10 years experience so it shouldn’t be an issue. If you have experience from more than 10 years ago, you could just put all the relevant experience in a ‘Other Experience’ section that’s under your ‘Experience’ section. That way you’ll still be able to showcase all your hard-earned experience but not expose yourself to ageism.

When you’re interviewing, it’s about striking the balance between showing how much experience you have and also that you’ve kept up with the times.

I had a hiring manager the other day give feedback to me that a candidate had solid skills and management experience but wasn’t up to date with some of the new but critical functions and technologies of a particular department. This, unfortunately, was a dealbreaker.

It wasn’t their age that got them rejected; it was that they hadn’t kept up with the times and the technologies.

2. From your perspective, what are the skills that you often find lacking in candidates during interviews? It could be either soft or hard skills, or even more broadly, general skills that are essential. Those types of things that make you think 'If they were more [x] or if they expressed [x]... it would have made the interview much better?”

Curiosity.

If you see an interview as a test then you might feel nervous about being curious. I get it.

“What if they think I don’t know something that I should?”

“What if they think I’m not smart?”

“What if they think my questions are stupid?”

If you see an interview as a chance to have a conversation that will help you learn more about the role and the company, curiosity is natural.

Would you go on a first date and ask absolutely no questions? I doubt it. Because your purpose isn’t to get into a relationship; it’s to get to know the person better.

(Not a dating coach.)

It’s okay to be curious. In fact, it’s encouraged and recommended. Not only will you find out more about the role and the company, but you’ll probably (inadvertently) get on the interviewer’s good side. Why? People generally like imparting their knowledge and wisdom. Allowing the interviewer to do that will probably serve you well.

3. I’ve been at my first [industry] job for a few years now and feel ready to try and go elsewhere. Now that I’ve broken into the industry already, how do I leverage that when applying elsewhere? Also how do I get headhunters attention and maximize their help and benefits when I do draw their attention?”

First, make sure your CV or resume is doing you justice. That means not just writing what you were responsible for, but what you achieved. Show the recruiter and interviewer that you had demonstrable success in your first role.

When you’re interviewing, it’s about showcasing those achievements once again (in STAR format this time). It’s also about showing you understand the industry and its challenges. What did you learn about the industry in your first role? What was something unexpected you found out? What are the challenges and how did you overcome them?

In terms of headhunters and agency recruiters, make sure your LinkedIn profile is up to date. Think about it from their point of view: if you and another candidate have similar experience - or even if they have slightly more experience than you - but your profile is filled out with your experience and has a headline that’s easy for recruiters to understand, you’ll be the one getting a DM.

If you want more headhunters and agency recruiters to see your profile, use LinkedIn to engage rather than having a great profile that’s just sitting there. Find a few recruiters and hiring managers in your industry and add thoughtful comments and questions to their posts. They’ll appreciate it, yes, and it also gets more eyes on your profile. Win win.

You can also reach out to headhunters and agency recruiters and ask what roles they have available. I know recruiters get a lot of stick on LinkedIn - and some of it is deserved - but a good recruiter is someone worth cultivating a relationship with.

In Conclusion

Thank you so much for reading. Have a great week of job-searching ahead and I’ll talk to you next Sunday!

PS I was featured in a LinkedIn legend’s newsletter on Friday. His name is Josh Fullmer and you can read the post here.

PPS I highly recommend subscribing to Josh’s newsletter. Click here!

PPPS Did this edition of the newsletter make anyone else of James Bond?