The Naked Job Search

A few years ago I heard about the 'naked streets' popping up in Europe. What does this mean?  There are no street or traffic signs or signals.  Each traffic signal and intersection has been replaced by a traffic circle, where everyone waits their turn, enters the circle and exits where they need to. Think about it, no:

• 'No Parking' signs
• 'Stop' signs
• 'Yield' signs
• Speed Limits

And in some places they've even done away with the lane markers - yikes!

One article cites that drivers ignore 70% of the traffic/street signs we see, I guess because there are too many to pay attention to.

The main premise is that as drivers we have lost our ability to fully engage with the act of driving - we rely so much on the directions and restrictions everywhere that we turn our brain off as soon as the ignition goes on. ( This doesn't even take into account how distracted we can be by what's going on inside the car, like a cell phone conversation or texting!)

By limiting the regulations, drivers, bicyclists and pedestrians are required to have a heightened sense  of responsibility and to understand that their travel is a dance with everybody else out there with them that requires higher levels of caution and carefulness.

It appears to be working - places where this approach to managing traffic has been implemented have seen dramatic reductions in traffic accidents.  I like what Monderman, the Dutch traffic engineer who came up with the naked streets idea said: “When you treat people like idiots, they’ll behave like idiots.”

So, as usual, it got me thinking about all the directions given out there about how to conduct a job search.  The information out there is overwhelming and most job seekers are lost and confused.  So what if you did your job search naked?

What if you stopped listening to all of the advice out there?  What if you relied on your own instincts to find work?  What if you slowed down and focused only on what works?  What if you were able to really notice what was going on around you?  What if you went with the flow and took cues from your outside environment and acted on those cues?  What if you listened to your intuition and gut?  Would you be better off - I think so.

All of that takes courage.  Can you imagine what it would feel like to drive on your streets for the first time without the traffic lights and directional cues?  Scary at first, but you'd get used to it.  Same thing would happen with a naked job search.

I think part of the problem with the way many job seekers are conducting their job search is that all of the information out there is giving them a false sense of security.  Job seekers are sitting behind their computers which is providing them with a sense of activity, but it's not actually accomplishing anything.

After they've sat behind their computers for a few months, to use the driving metaphor, they start experiencing Road Rage when the road they're on isn't getting them to the destination they want.  Sound familiar?

So let's agree on a middle ground (middle lane).  Rather than going completely naked, how about you simply take off all of the extra layers you have on that are weighing you down and insulating you from taking the inspired action you need to.  Get the help and support that makes sense to you and leave the rest behind in your dust.   I'm kinda liking this driving metaphor.


Brenda