Dude, Bend Time

Construction contractors 👷 are cool because 1) they’ve got skills I don’t and 2) they’re some of the most optimistic people I know.

I say “optimistic” 😀 because if your experience is anything like mine, contractors are sometimes pretty terrible at estimating when construction projects will actually be finished.

“We ought to have this project done by August 1.”

“Well, there was a delay, but it definitely should be done now by September 1.”

“The supply chain is just crazy right now….definitely no later than October 1.”

“No later than November 1. Definitely by then!”

Time flows ⏳ differently for contractors.

You know who else experiences time differently? People hiring people.

Gotta Get Back in Time

During a hiring process, recruiters and hiring managers will often say things like, “oh ya, we’ll have a decision by end of next week” when the actual decision takes a month. Employer Time is fast; Applicant Time is slow.

What accounts for this inexplicable interruption in the space-time continuum?

Employer Time flows slow because employers have transparency of information; Applicant Time flows fast because applicants don’t.

Applicant Time is fast because the hiring decision is often an applicant’s main focus; Employer Time is slow because the hiring decision is just one of many things going on for the Employer.

The next time you send in an application and after 24 hours it feels like you’ve already been waiting SO LONG, there’s a good chance you’re just not experiencing time the same way they’re experiencing time.

Bend Time

So, what’s an eager job seeker to do, just wait and wait and wait and wait and wait? ⏰ No.

You can bend time towards you.

You can bend time by creating strong agreements about how and when next steps will happen, and what happens if they don’t.

You can bend time by being present through strong communication.

You can bend time through service, which among those you serve, has a way of elevating your cause above others.

You can bend time by establishing solid boundaries, so it’s clear your accessibility and availability is not open-ended.

And perhaps most powerfully, you can bend time through trust. Trust that you discovering the perfect thing is inevitable, that you’re going to be taken care of, that you don’t need to be anxious, that in the fullness of time all will be revealed, and everything will turn out the way it’s supposed to.

I am cheering for you, timebender! Eric