By Abdul Wahid Saleem
We are living in a generation of equality. We have the right to be treated equally no matter what our gender, color or religious beliefs are. But when it comes to hiring someone or in order to get hired, it is important to stand out and not be treated equally in the pool of talents. The advertising industry thrives on being unique and unconventional, it is an industry that cannot and should not follow a template. In the advertising industry, you can become the most known name overnight but also burn down to mere ashes within a flick of a finger.
Getting into the advertising industry for most of the people that I have known were because of mere coincidence or because of their deep passion for the industry. I am the latter one. I knew from a very long time as to where I wanted to be and what I wanted to be in life. Advertising was not a career choice back in the day and hence I had to take a very long route to get where I am right now. I believe that I am at the last leg of my journey, before I take my plunge into a career in advertising.
Over the period of time, I learnt that being different is the way to get into the advertising industry. To be different is a psychological thing which is explained in depth on the basis of principles of Behavioural Economics. BE is the field of study that delves into human psychology in order to understand the decision making process of humans. I would want to portray myself to stand out from others while applying for a job by incorporating the principles of BE. Among the set of principles, I have shortlisted a couple of them that I would use for my benefit while applying for a position.
Anchoring would be the first principle that I would use to leverage and grasp the attention of my probable employer. The concept of anchoring defines that the opening or the first thing that the employer sees in my profile will define if he/she wants to continue to know more about me. In order to hook my employer into reading or knowing more about me, I have to start my resume, cover letter or my website with a strong statement. Creating a tagline for myself would be the best thing to do.
The next principle that I would apply during my career search is Social Proof. Social Proof is the phenomena where humans tend to mimic others in order to fit into the crowd, usually during times of uncertainty. I always wanted to pave my own path and that is how I reached where I am today. It is overwhelming when I hear that my friends are finding internships and jobs, but I stay calm and I know that I will follow my own path and need not give in to the pressure from my fellow classmates.
I know that there is something out there just for me and I know that if I truly believe in what I want to do in life, the universe will support me. It is just a matter of time and perseverance that will get what I need.