#018 - What On Earth Does Bamboo Farming Have To Do With Your Job Search?

Did you know that bamboo can grow up to three feet in 24 hours? Or that some species grow to over 100 feet tall? And did you know it's used in medicine, construction, cooking, furniture, straws (shout out to turtles), nappies, and more?

It’s even more versatile than Denzel Washington.

However.

If you planted bamboo today and went to check on it tomorrow, you’d be disappointed. Because there’d be nothing there. If you checked after a week, you’d still be disappointed. If you checked after a whole year, you’d still be disappointed.

Because for the first 5 years of their life, bamboo shoots don’t even appear above ground.

Even if you took care of them perfectly, there’d be no evidence. Are they growing? Are they not? Are they dead? Is uncertainty the only actual certainty in life? What’s happening?

The most successful bamboo farmers adopt an attitude we’ve talked about before: impatient with actions, patient with results. Day after day, they water their seeds. Even when they think they might be dead, even when they think “this is stupid,” even when they want to give up. They don’t miss a day, no matter what.

And then, 5 years later, they see the shoots. They’re there. Finally. Above ground. The next day, they might be 3 feet high.

To the layman, it would look like an overnight success. To the bamboo pro, it’s anything but. It’s literal years of doing the right thing over and over and, like Joel Embiid, trusting the process. (Too niche a reference? Yeah, probably.)

Getting a new job is a “lag measure.” That means it’s a result that’s ultimately out of your control. You can’t just decide that you’ll get this specific job after this specific timeframe. It doesn’t work like that. If those are your expectations, you - like everyone with the final season of Game of Thrones - will be disappointed.

There are plenty of things you can control, however.

You can control what jobs you’re applying for. Are they roles you’re qualified to do? Are you at least hitting the minimum requirements? Are you being strategic or spraying and praying?

You can control who you’re networking with. Have you reached out to everyone in your current network? Have you checked in with recruiters and hiring managers you crossed paths with before? Are you using LinkedIn to build a new network?

You can control your CV/resume. Do you tailor it at least a little bit for each role? Do you have some achievements/results/metrics on there? Does it allow recruiters and hiring managers to believe you might be a great candidate for the role?

You can control your LinkedIn profile and presence. Is your profile complete? (A lot of people miss the Experience section, for some reason.) Are you engaging with other people’s content every day? Are you using it to see who you’re connected to at companies you want to work for and reaching out to them?

You can control your interview prep. Are you coming up with examples for each requirement in the job description? Are you researching the company and interviewer? Are you asking questions based on said research?

You can control how you take rejection. Are you expressing your disappointment but reiterating you enjoyed getting to meet people? Are you kindly and politely asking for (additional) feedback? Are you putting a note in your diary for a couple of months time to check in with the recruiter?

You can control all the above. The question is: do you control all the above?

If not, it might be time to adopt the ‘bamboo farmer’ mindset. They control what they can control, day in and day out - for 5 years! - and they are handsomely rewarded. (Wanted to fit a handsome Squidward ‘joke’ in there but couldn’t do it. Apologies.) (I gotta stop with these niche references.)

The good news for you is that if you do your best to control all the above, you won’t be waiting 5 years. You might not even have to wait 5 days for something to come to fruition - a call from a recruiter, a message from a hiring manager, an interview.

If you’re feeling discouraged on your job search - which, unlike quantum mechanics, is totally understandable - think of the bamboo farmer.

And keep watering.

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