50 Cent Wants you to be a Fearless Job Seeker

Photo Courtesy HarperStudio

Until recently, I never knew much about 50 Cent.  Sure, I have enjoyed his music over the years, but I just thought he was another rapper who made a lot of money and lived beyond his means. 

However, my interest was piqued a few months ago, when I heard 50 Cent was teaming up with best-selling author Robert Greene to write a book: The 50th Law.

I read Greene's landmark book, The 48 Laws of Power, last year and instantly began to apply some of the "laws" to my own life.  So I have been counting down the days until the release of The 50th Law.

Not surprisingly, I found several nuggets from 50th that would be useful to readers of this blog.  I have provided a few excerpts below and my spin on how they relate to the job search:

You must choose a career or a craft that excites you in some deep way.
I once read advice from Patriots' Coach Bill Belichick that recent grads should pursue their passions after graduation, because things will change a few years down the road.  I agree, focus on what you love now because it will make your job search - and job- something you will enjoy.

There are two kinds of hustlers in this world - those who stay on the outside, and those who move to the inside.  The outside types never bother to learn anything about their customers.
Anyone who has heard me speak about the job search will tell you that I always compare it to "sales."  And to be a good salesman, you need to spend a lot of time with your customers to find out what they want to buy.  As a job seeker, you are selling a product (you) and you need to take the time to meet with companies (buyers) on an informational basis so you can learn what they want to buy and re-position yourself.

All human activities involve a process of mastery.  You must learn the various steps and procedures involved, proceeding to higher and higher levels of proficiency... as you become better at this task or craft, it becomes increasingly pleasurable.  You see your improvement; you see connections and possibilities you hadn't noticed before.
Networking is an acquired skill.  It has taken me a decade to get to the point where I have no fear (50 Cent would be proud).  I can email or call any company in the country right now and ask for an informational meeting.  But I wasn't this bold overnight.  I was always a shy kid, but overcame my fear of networking and reaching out to people BY DOING IT! 

To become a successful hustler you had to accustom yourself to the slow, grinding pace of the job.
In some respects, technology is really having a negative impact on job seekers.  We live in a fast-paced world where everything is instant and convenient: texting, instant messaging, twitter, facebook status updates, the CNN crawl...  You don't have to call anyone anymore.  You don't have to read newspapers anymore.  Heck, you don't even need to grab a beer with your friends anymore.

Sure, say I'm old school.  But I believe in fusing the old with the new.  The job search is hard work and slow.  Like 3-6 months long slow.  Technology can help you identify companies faster, maintain communication/find information on them (blogs, twitter, Google News, etc.) but you still are going to need to put in the time.  Email after email.  Informational interview after informational interview.

When you prove to yourself that you can get things on your own, then you experience a sense of liberation.
I know exactly what 50 Cent means when he says this.  I love my current "day job" but it wouldn't have come to fruition if I was impatient and jumped at the first opportunity that came my way.  During my last job search in 2006, I interviewed at several companies and declined a few offers because I knew I was driving the process and would eventually find the perfect fit.  THAT is liberation.  Saying no when most people say yes.  Not settling for something because you know you can find exactly what you want.

Here's 50 Cent and Robert Greene on the Today Show recently: