WIIFT – The Key to Successful Job Search

September 24th, 2011 by Susan P. Joyce

Think about it: would you buy something from someone who didn’t care what you wanted or needed?

“Buy this computer.  I need to make a sale today.”

You’d be a lot more interested in buying if the salesperson said this:

“This computer does exactly what you need.  It runs the most popular and reliable operating system, the one you know how to use.  All the software you use every day is already installed, and ready to go.  It has plenty of memory, a super fast processor, and the largest and fastest hard drive on the market.  It has built-in WIFI and 5G network connections, plus the latest anti-virus, anti-spam, anti-malware, anti-spyware software to protect you and your computer from the Internet bad guys.

If you’re like me, you’d be so thrilled by that offer, it would take you a while to remember to ask the price.  That’s why really good sales people are so successful – they look at things from the customer’s perspective.

In your job search, view potential employers as your customers.

Sponsor:
what where  
job title, keywords or company
Employers: post your jobs
city, state or zip jobs by Indeed

Buying Mode – W I I F M

When I worked in corporate America, in every deal, we looked for the -

W I I F M
(meaning What’s In It For “Me”)
“Me” = the company)

As a job seeker talking to a potential employer, WIIFM is the wrong place for you to start (great for finishing, though).

WIIFM is the buyer’s perspective, and, at least at the beginning of your discussions with a potential employer, you are the seller, not the buyer. 

So WIIFM is the wrong approach to take, unless you and the employer know - as an absolute fact – that you are the only person who can do the job.

Sales Mode – W I I F T

Most of us do have quite a bit of competition in the job market, unfortunately, so we are normally in sales mode (or as Job-Hunt Expert Tim Tyrell-Smith would say, “Personal Marketing” mode).  Consequently, job seekers are typically much more successful when they approach potential employers from this perspective -

W I I F T
(meaning What’s In It For “Them“)
“Them” = the employer)

Think about it – why should this employer hire you?  The fact that you have bills to pay and need a job to pay them doesn’t really matter to the employer.

Bottom Line

Remember that employers want to know what’s in it for them if they hire you.  What will you do that they need?  How will you help them to succeed?  Focus on W I I F T for employers you really want, and you will have a successful job search.

For more information:

© Copyright, 2011, Susan P. Joyce. All rights reserved.

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About the author…

Online job search expert Susan P. Joyce has been observing the online job search world and teaching online job search skills since 1995. Susan is a two-time layoff “graduate” who has worked in human resources at Harvard University and in a compensation consulting firm. In 1998, her company, NETability, Inc. purchased Job-Hunt.org, and Susan has been editor and publisher of Job-Hunt since then. Follow Susan on Twitter at @jobhuntorg.

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Posted Saturday, September 24th, 2011 at 3:13 pm in Personal Marketing.

One Comment to “WIIFT – The Key to Successful Job Search”

  1. What are the Keys to Finding the Job You Want? | Resume 555 says:
    January 25, 2012 at 2:58 pm

    [...] unfulfilled and unchallenged in your work. If this sounds like you, then it may be time to make a change. Changing jobs is not something that you should do on a whim; you should take into account many [...]

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