I hate phrases like “it’s hard to find a job in this market.” You know where it’s really hard to find a job? At a vegetable market — because they sell vegetables there, not hire people. And even there, if you really want to, you can get a job as a seller.
Here’s a simple idea: you never get hired “by the market.” You sell specific skills to a specific company for a specific price. And there are only two reasons why someone would pay that price:
— no one else offers the same value for less money;
— or someone does, but the company doesn’t know about them.
If you’re a unique product — say, a developer who can dig through any documentation, chase a bug from Python down to assembler, or a product manager who walks in and says “I’ll raise retention by 20%,” or a construction worker who can lay bricks on the 86th floor — then replacing you is expensive. Sure, they could hire a helicopter, a pilot, and a regular builder instead — but compared to that setup, you suddenly look like a bargain.
If you’re not a one-of-a-kind product, but simply a good professional — then you’re in a price competition. Sometimes a company needs ten of you — lucky. Sometimes it just doesn’t know you exist — unlucky.
But here’s the thing: you almost never win by being the cheapest among equals.
You win by being the cheapest among unique. For example, I know I combine an analytical mind, empathy for users and teammates, and fluency in technical language. And — maybe most importantly — I don’t do bullshit. When a CEO hires me, they’re basically getting a splinter in the ass: annoying to walk with, but it keeps the company from going the wrong way. That’s what I sell. And that’s why I sell it for a high price — because there aren’t many managers who combine all that. I’m sure they exist, but the point is: I sell a bit more than what’s asked for in job descriptions.
So when someone starts talking about “a tough market” or “layoffs,” I get irritated. That stuff only makes sense if you’re one of a million interchangeable cogs. Your real job is to narrow your market to those who need your exact mix of skills.
And by the way, that’s also the best long-term investment. Remember this tweet: by 2030, the only skill humans will have that machines won’t — is the ability to sell something to other people.