THE
JOB FARMER
The 21st Century Approach to
Finding a Job or Getting Clients
for Your Business
GEORGE VERDOLAGA
Copyright 2011 by George Verdolaga
Smashwords Edition
GEORGE VERDO-LAGA
A Constellation Press book
All rights reserved. No part of this publication shall be reproduced, transmitted or resold in whole or in part in any form, without the prior written consent of the author.
The book and its related courses and materials are meant to provide competent and reliable information regarding the subject matter covered. Reasonable efforts have been made by the author to provide current and accurate information for the readers.
The characters and events depicted in this book are entirely fictional. The book is not intended to be a historically accurate depiction of a particular place, people or time in history.
The book’s website is http://www.thejobfarmer.com/
Visit the author’s website at http://www.georgeverdolaga.com/
Cataloguing data available from Library and Archives Canada
ISBN: 978-0-9865636-4-5
Cover & interior design by Greg Lam
Copyediting by Ted Morrison
Proofreading by Heather Lea
Illustrations by Grahame Arnould
Are you a Hunter
Or a Farmer?
Find out at www.thejobfarmer.com
I WOULD LIKE TO HEAR FROM YOU:
If you have stories about personal struggles and successes involving your quest to find a job or build a client base for your business I would love to hear them. If you’ve also had the chance to attend one of my courses, seminars and webinars or finished reading one of my books, I would appreciate it if you could share your feedback. Please send these to:
info@georgeverdolaga.com
For speaking engagements, seminars and bulk orders please contact us at:
info@georgeverdolaga.com
* Learn a much more effective alternative to mass-mailing resumes that actually works
* Find that BACK DOOR to your dream job
* Discover the perfect time to look for a job, when you’re at your most appealing
* Increase your callback rate and the number of inter-views you’re getting each month
* Turn the tables on job interviewers and make THEM pitch the jobs to you so you can do the pick-ing and choosing
* Talk to the right people who can actually OFFER you a job on the spot instead of convincing a recrui-ter, or someone at the human resources department, to grant you an interview
* Create a powerful lifetime network that will keep you consistently employed throughout your career
Order the SITTING PRETTY home study course at www.sittingprettycourse.com
Create a career safety net so that you’re never out of work
* Never worry about the state of the economy – or your company – like everyone else
* Understand how to properly manage your performance and your relationships at work so you never have to see the “writing on the wall”
* Learn how to protect yourself from corporate downsizing, layoffs or mass firings at work
* Become a top resource & go-to person in your industry so that employers & recruiters will seek you out
* Pick and choose jobs (or clients) suited to you, rather than just going for the one that’s available immediately
* Be fully in control of your career and decide who to work for, how long to work for them and how much vacation time to take in a year
Order THE CONTRACTOR LIFESTYLE book at www.contractorlifestylebook.com
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
They say that it takes many people to create a book, and The Job Farmer is no exception.
I would like to thank my wife Maita, first and fore-most. Her advice and constant support have been instrumental in the making of this book. She is a big reason I’ve succeed not only in business, but in life. And she constantly inspires me to be a better person.
I would also like to acknowledge my wonderful par-ents, who unfailingly encourage and support me in all my endeavors. I dedicate all my achievements to these two very special people, who have always been there for me. Without their prayers and their generosity, I would not have gone very far in life.
I am eternally grateful to my friend Greg Lam, who designed the cover, interior and promotional website for The Job Farmer. He continues to be a valuable source of information and his sharp insights enabled me to make significant enhancements to the story of Kolo and Miiku.
I would also like to mention my editor and second pair of eyes - Ted Morrison - whose input, tremendous generosity, patience and editing skills have made my books and courses effectively communicate my ideas and my experiences.
I would like to express my thanks to Mel Smith of Bullseye Marketing Solutions. He has helped me strengthen my mental game and continually assists me in promoting my brand – and my message – to the world.
And finally to our Creator, who always laughs when-ever I share my plans with Him. Thank you for taking me on this amazing journey and opening my eyes to life’s wonderful possibilities.
George Verdolaga
June 2011
FOREWORD
The Job Farmer is a very unique and enjoyable little book that offers not only a definite prescription for finding a job (or getting clients for your business) but an orientation for life based on establishing win-win relationships with others.
George’s simple and memorable parable about the lives of an ancient hunter and his farmer friend brilliantly illustrates a philosophy based on living in abundance. Through this book, the author demonstrates how we can easily obtain all the jobs – or business clients – we could ever imagine!
Kolo and Miiku, the two main characters in this story, pursue two different paths to feeding themselves and surviving in the wilderness: one maintains a belief built on “scarcity” while the other adapts to a philosophy of “abundance”. Their individual choices impact all of their daily decisions and actions.
However, they both remain continuously respectful of each other’s differing lifestyle and philosophy. They both also experience vastly different life outcomes as a result of their opposing beliefs and food-gathering strategies.
A scarcity mentality has ruled many people’s lives such that it has influenced our choices, values and even our pride. While great events have occurred within a scarcity mentality, so too have great tragedies. These could have been neatly sidestepped if most human beings thought differently about how to use (and share) the Earth’s resources.
Perhaps societies of the world can learn to merge their old-fashioned scarcity views with the new abundance thinking so everyone can benefit. As a result of adopting this mindset of abundance, we can all start to witness more positive outcomes in our own lives.
Instead of job (or client) hunting, we definitely need to start job farming.
Don Morgan, MA
New York Times best-selling author of “Masters of Networking”, “Masters of Success” and “Masters of Sales”
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Why Job Seekers & Business Owners Need to Shift from Hunting to Farming
Be Prepared for Opportunity & Change
Always Be Ready for New Challenges
Be a Good Listener & a Trusted Advisor
Collaboration—Not Competition—is the Key to Advancement
Be Willing to Act on Your Desires to Enjoy Success
Make Yourself Continually Useful to Others
THINK LONG TERM: WHY JOB SEEKERS & BUSINESS OWNERS NEED TO SHIFT FROM HUNTING TO FARMING
The Job Farmer is a parable that illustrates two very different approaches to putting food on the table: hunting and farming.
The story of Kolo and Miiku is not intended to be a historically accurate depiction of a particular place, people or period in history. It is a story that could have happened anywhere, or anytime.
The hunters and settlers simply represent traditional and modern approaches to making a living. Our story describes what happens when the future meets the present.
By comparing the lives of Kolo and Miiku, you will see the differences between hunting versus farming on two levels: a) the chosen methods of food production (i.e. hunting wild game versus cultivating vegetables and breeding animals) and b) how each responded to the entry of new people, things and ideas into their world.
Kolo represents the “old school.” He’s a hunter and only looks for food once it runs out. Miiku starts out a hunter, but begins to evolve into a farmer after realizing that:
1) Hunting cannot create a continuous food supply. This leads to a constant problem of seasonal starvation.
2) Hunting is a dangerous occupation as the animals are not the easiest to kill, nor are they friendly or docile, especially when hurt.
3) Hunting tends to propagate a scarcity mentality that pits hunters against each other as they chase the same prey. This means that there are often winners and losers.
You’ll discover how Kolo and Miiku responded differently to the challenges and the tremendous opportunity that presented itself to both of them. You’ll be able to see the differences in their attitudes and behaviors and what the consequences of their respective life and work choices turned out to be.
This book is, as I mentioned earlier, a parable. The supply of food was a constant concern for nomadic hunters, just as the supply of work is for job hunters, who live in a world of increased job instability and uncertainty (for more on this check out the www.contractorlifestylebook.com).
Increased global competition and economic fluctuations simply make it more difficult for most 21st century workers to keep their jobs, making it necessary for people to build themselves a safety net.
In a world that revolves around give-and-take, modern job hunters find it difficult to survive with a short-term mentality. Once they’ve got a job, they may settle into their comfortable work routines and neglect to take the necessary steps to protect their livelihood. This can be very dangerous.
Like ancient hunters they go out, find their prey for the day, eat and then relax. But after repeating this routine several times, they discover that they’re completely unprepared for “winter” when jobs are much harder to find. Their lives consist of an endless cycle of feasting and starving. This creates a tremendous level of stress for modern day job hunters and the people who depend on them for food.
THE EASIEST AND MOST EFFECTIVE WAY TO FIND A JOB—OR GET CLIENTS FOR YOUR BUSINESS—IS TO START FARMING
Job hunters typically use old and worn techniques that include sporadic bursts of activity—usually when a job comes to an end—like frantically mailing out paper or electronic resumes to try and find work quickly.
In a busy economy this approach may sometimes work. However, this approach isn’t really as effective during recessions, when the supply of job seekers far outstrips the number of positions available. Over the long term it’s really not the best way to find work, or develop a focused and thriving career or business.
Job farmers, on the other hand, usually don’t bother much with resumes. Their reputations are established. And they don’t have to rely on pieces of paper to introduce—or sell—themselves to companies, as they’re already well known in their industries and also in the community.
This book was written to help you understand why it’s critical to always think long term and not be stuck on just one way of getting a job (e.g. mass mailing resumes). It’s important to keep your mind open to using different techniques to find work. You’ll discover other means that are much more powerful and effective, and also learn how to cultivate relationships with all sorts of people, some of whom will open doors for you.
You’ll also come to realize how refusing to leave your comfort zone can stop you from getting the things you want out of life. You’ll understand why collaborating with others, rather than being a lone wolf, will help you get what you want much more easily and effectively. You’ll discover how constantly connecting with people will enable you to access professional opportunities and never be out of work.
Once you learn how to become a job farmer, you’ll have more than enough to feed yourself and your family throughout your life. And you’ll even have “food” to spare for others.
PUTTING FOOD ON THE TABLE IS ALWAYS MUCH EASIER FOR JOB FARMERS
CHAPTER 1
BE PREPARED FOR OPPORTUNITY AND CHANGE
Kolo and Miiku were nomadic hunters who lived on the grassy plains. They lived next to each other either in temporary shelters constructed from wooden poles covered with animal hides or, if they were lucky, a nice dry cave until they had to move on.
Kolo lived with his immediate and extended families. There were fewer than twenty aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews and grandparents relying on Kolo and his team of hunters to provide their food, which consisted primarily of meat. This was cooked over a fire that was built in the middle of their shelter or cave. This fire also provided heat for all the hunters who lived in these temporary quarters.
Miiku’s family was smaller than Kolo’s and consisted of just over a dozen members. This included a brother and a cousin, several nieces and nephews and his own family of five. He usually had about three hunters on his team at any one time, most often himself, his brother and an uncle. This meant that they could kill fewer animals than Kolo, who had five hunters in his own family. Miiku’s son was still too young to be useful during the hunt, so he stayed behind with his mother and two sisters.
Hunters like Kolo and Miiku survived primarily on wild game such as antelope, buffalo or elephants. Both of them used animal hides and fur for their clothing and for building shelters. They used the bones and sinews for tools, weapons and other purposes.
Their primary weapons were wooden spears. These were usually tipped with sharpened animal bones, or flint heads lashed to the edge of the spear shaft. Hunters had to be always on the lookout for animal tracks and had to be ready to swiftly dismantle their temporary settlement and uproot their family to pursue the animals once these were found.
Hunters stalked their prey on foot, so they had to be completely silent and almost invisible, as the wild game they pursued were amazingly sensitive creatures. The beasts had a very strong sense of smell and were mostly easily startled. The prey would typically run to safety if they detected a threat or sudden movement nearby.
Kolo and Miiku learned to be amazing trackers in order to sneak up on the animals completely undetected. Hunters needed these skills in order to pick up the trail of the wild game before the family completely consumed their food supply from the last hunt.
Hunting could be a pretty hazardous business. On most days, it was fairly easy to overcome the animals, especially if a team of hunters worked together to surround one of their prey. But there were always risks, particularly when hunters had to stalk the wild game alone.
Sometimes the animals they pursued would turn and charge at the hunters, especially if they were wounded. At that point, it almost certainly meant death or serious injury for the hunter, who would be gouged by their prey’s sharp horns, or trampled by the stampeding herd.
Once their food supply ran out, hunters had to move again to locate the new whereabouts of their prey. This was the never-ending cycle of hunting and feeding that hunters like Kolo and Miiku had to constantly follow to survive.
It could take weeks or months for the hunters to track down their prey. In the meantime, the family had to always be on the move, foraging for whatever food they could find. They would eat small animals, nuts and fruits from trees or bushes to get by.
HUNTING CAN BE FRAUGHT WITH UNCERTAINTY AND DANGER
Hunters’ families depended on the abundance of their food supply for their continued survival. In a good season, the hunters would be able to kill and store lots of wild game. This could last for a couple of months at best.
Most of the time, the catch would only last a few weeks, especially if only one animal was killed. As a result, a bad winter could easily send them to the brink of starvation.
Another challenge that faced hunters’ families was that tasks were not evenly divided among the men and women. Hunting was an exclusively male pursuit. And it was considered a very honorable one. Great hunters were revered by their families.
The women were expected to rear children, cook and do other domestic tasks. Thus if the men were unlucky in their hunt and brought home no food for several weeks, their entire family would have to endure hunger until game could again be found.
Kolo’s hunting team consisted of himself, two brothers and a pair of cousins. But the older children in his family were girls. Only one boy, the second-to-youngest child, could go on to become a hunter. Kolo worried that he had no one in his family to succeed him as lead food provider and hunter.
SEARCHING FOR FOOD ONLY WHEN YOUR SUPPLY RUNS OUT CAN LEAD TO DISASTROUS RESULTS
If the hunters didn’t get killed by starvation, or by the very animals they were pursuing, there was always the treacherous climate. On some winter days, their temporary shelters and body coverings were not quite sufficient to keep them warm. If the cold weather lasted too long members of the families—particularly older ones—could freeze to death.
Extreme winter conditions could make it almost impossible to hunt for wild game, as the new snowfall would typically cover their tracks. In addition, the hunters didn’t really have thick enough clothing to protect their backs and their feet from the cold if they stayed outside for long periods of time.
In fact, it was the custom to eat a lot more just before the cold winter months in order to gain weight and make sure they could last for as long as possible without food.
But this was a two-edged sword: if they gained enough weight to stay warm year round, they could become sluggish during the cold months and only get back into shape when temperatures rose again, or whenever they picked up the trail and resumed the hunt.
Sometimes, if they ventured out too far from their dwellings, they were unable to make it back to their settlement. So the hunters might have to pass the icy night huddled together around a smoky fire built from damp wood to keep themselves warm.
HUNTING CAN BE HIGHLY UNSTABLE, WITH LONG PERIODS OF IDLENESS AND NEAR-STARVATION IN BETWEEN FINDING ONE’S PREY
Hunters might spend weeks waiting to pick up the scent of the wild game, or for good hunting weather to return. In between the hunts, Kolo and Miiku’s families had a lot of free time on their hands.
It became particularly hard once their food supplies ran out and their families began to feel the pinch of hunger. In these instances, the hunters would start to argue and even fight amongst themselves, having nothing productive to focus their energies on.
“I hate being idle. And it displeases me whenever my family goes hungry as they wait for the hunt to resume,” thought Miiku to himself. “It’s always tough to hunt during winter; I’d like to find a way to feed my family throughout the year so they never go hungry.”
Miiku was musing on these things the day he first encountered Kolo, out on the plains. Both were in pursuit of wild game and had just picked up the tracks of their prey separately. They were surprised to come across each other on the hunting fields. But since there were a lot of animals on the plains that day, there was no need to feel threatened by one another.
Miiku approached Kolo and said, “I am Miiku and these are members of my family. I watched how skillfully you killed some of the wild game today. You and your team of hunters are very good and brave men.”
Ordinarily, Kolo would have either left the scene, or challenged Miiku to a fight, as the latter and his family were competition for food. But he sensed friendliness from this new stranger. And it wasn’t very often he received compliments from other hunters regarding his courage and skill. So Kolo decided to introduce himself saying, “I am Kolo and these are my brothers and cousins.”
That kicked off a collaboration and friendship between Kolo and Miiku that lasted for nearly a year. From then on, the two would sometimes hunt side by side. Other times, they would go in completely different directions to see if they could get better results in tracking down their elusive prey.
Not all hunters on the plains were friendly to one another, though. A number of them were fiercely competitive and would wage war on other families, since they were all hunting for the same wild game. Many hunters lacked the abundance mentality and understanding of cooperation necessary for all of them to peacefully co-exist.
Normally, Kolo and his family liked to hunt without the aid of other families. And despite having a team of hunters from his own group, he liked to hunt alone as much as possible. Having other hunters around certainly made for good company, but Kolo was usually happy to hunt by himself. He didn’t know why he enjoyed working with Miiku, he just accepted it.
Now, though, Kolo was finding more and more hunters on his travels. He worried that one day there would be too many hunters and not enough wild game. He thought that if other hunters picked up the trail of the animals faster than he, then there might not be anything left for him and his family.
It was on one of those days when Kolo and Miiku had gone off in opposite directions that the latter stumbled upon something that would completely change his existence.
Emerging from the scrub, Miiku came across a group of people, who were building what seemed to be a brand new settlement. Watching them from a safe distance, he saw that they were dressed in a different manner from himself and the other hunters and were speaking in a different tongue.
He tried to make out what they were saying but could not grasp the meaning of their words. Miiku was utterly flabbergasted at his discovery.
“Where did these strange people come from?” he thought to himself.
He could not know that these newcomers had arrived a few months earlier from a faraway place and had traveled to the plains to build a new life for themselves.
Miiku ran back to his own camp to report the news of his discovery.
“Kolo,” Miiku breathlessly called out.
“What is it?” Kolo replied, sensing Miiku’s excitement, “Have you spotted game tracks?”
“No,” Miiku answered, “I’ve found a large number of people that look like us, but speak in a different language from ours. They seem to be building a new settlement.”
Kolo became visibly agitated upon hearing this. Sensing possible danger he said, “Really? Settlers that look like us but talk differently? Perhaps we should plan an attack on them, before they learn of our presence. They could be dangerous.”
Miiku wasn’t feeling as apprehensive about these new arrivals as his friend, and tried to ease his fears. But Kolo was extremely wary. To him these settlers represented unknown threats and possible competition for food.
Miiku argued that they should learn more about the new arrivals. They didn’t seem to be making war preparations and were focused on building their settlement. However, he agreed with Kolo that they had to proceed with caution.
“Why don’t I watch them for a few days?” suggested Miiku, “Then we can decide on a course of action. Right now, there seems to be a large number of them and we don’t know how well-equipped they are for fighting.”
Although he wanted to take immediate action and eliminate these newcomers, Kolo had to reluctantly agree with Miiku’s assessment. Unsure of whether these settlers were peaceful or not, Miiku studied them for almost a week before he dared approach any of them.
He set his sights on a boy sitting on a rock beyond the edge of the new settlement watching his fellow villagers build their new homes from afar. He seemed to be friendly.
After observing him for a few days, Miiku finally gathered the courage to go up to the young man. The boy became quite startled upon seeing Miiku, who stood motionless about ten feet away.
Slowly rising from where he sat, the boy started to approach the hunter. The young man, whose name was Rak, became fascinated with the markings on Miiku’s face and upper body and reached out his hand to touch these.
Miiku allowed him to touch his face and examine him closely. Feeling that this was the new settlers’ ritual, he touched Rak’s face and clothing as well.
He found the boy’s garments quite interesting as these were a bit different from his. Although they were also mostly made of animal hide, the hairs were longer than the ones he and Kolo wore and the hide had been treated differently.
ACTING—IN SPITE OF FEAR—YIELDS TREMENDOUS BENEFITS
Rak also wore coarse-woven cloth, something Miiku had never seen before.
Eventually Rak pointed to his chest and said, “Rak … my name is Rak. What is your name?”
Miiku didn’t understand at first that the young man was trying to introduce himself. Miiku instead tried to imitate him and pointed to his own chest, saying, “Rak … Rak …”
Rak didn’t understand why Miiku was repeating his name, and neither could comprehend the other’s language. So they tried to communicate using hand gestures for a few minutes before almost giving up in frustration.
Realizing he needed to make a clear, simple gesture, Rak made a signal to Miiku with his hands and said, “Come to my village. I’d like you to meet other people that live there.”
Sensing the boy wanted to bring him towards where most of the new settlers where, Miiku became visibly anxious and started to back off. Although he was curious about the new settlers and their ways, he wasn’t quite ready to confront them all just yet. After all, he wasn’t sure if they were peaceful or not.
“I mean you no harm. My fellow villagers are good people and would be pleased to meet you,” the young man said.
All the same, Rak quickly realized that this might not be the right time to introduce this strange man to the other people in the settlement. After all, they had only just gotten to know each other.
Miiku sensed the boy’s good intentions but started to leave, nevertheless. He intended to come back the next day and become better acquainted with this particular settler. He would take things slowly and see whether his instincts about the boy’s good intentions were correct.
The next day Miiku returned to the same spot where he had found the young man the day before. This time, though, Rak was with another young settler.
“This is my friend Anok,” said Rak, “He would like to meet you, too.”
It was then that Miiku understood they were simply trying to say their own names and pointed to his own chest and said, “Miiku.”
Upon hearing the identity of their new acquaintance, the two boys smiled. It was the start of a very interesting and mutually beneficial relationship.
CHAPTER 1 LESSONS:
1. ALWAYS EVALUATE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOUR ACTIONS, ESPECIALLY IN LIGHT OF CHANGING CONDITIONS
Hunters like Kolo and Miiku used simple, crude weapons that were not always reliable. Sometimes hunters would only injure the wild game they pursued, allowing them to escape. In some cases, the wounded prey would turn on the hunters and even kill them. This made hunting a tricky and often hazardous way of feeding one’s family.
Just like ancient hunters, modern job hunters still rely on old means that are not always effective—such as randomly firing out resumes to employers. This is a hit-and-miss way of trying to find a job, especially during tough economic times. Do you still employ this method of looking for work? If so, are you getting the results you want?