I swear to you, I don’t intend for this to become 80s Revival Metaphors Week. It’s a random coincidence.
Anyway, today we’ll be talking about the greatest covert (or overt, depending on who you’re asking) task force dedicated to the obliteration of one single terrorist organization. Sure, they might have started off as a more militant counter-point to barbies, but they evolved into tiny four-inch powerhouses with missile-launching action, Kung Fu grip, comic books, and a legendary TV show. And most recently, a movie.
The strength of the GI Joes lies in their teamwork, overall badassery, and ability to seemingly have at least one member who could do anything. I mean, you might have Snake-Eyes and Duke in every episode, but for every Heavy Duty or Scarlett on the team, there were at least ten guys like Snow Job (really), whose specialty was cold terrains, or Captain Grid-Iron, whose shtick was based on having once been a college football player.
By comparison, Cobra had the same central crew trying to do everything. In any given episode, Cobra Commander would come up with a plan, Destro would work on the machine stuff, Dr. Mindbender would try to bend minds or something (like look cool with his moustache, maybe?), and Zartan would dress up in a not-very-good costume. There were very few specialized Cobra agents, and the ones that they did have were either pretty useless (Raptor) or were worse at their particular ability than someone else in the organization who was doing it already (see: Darklon and Destro).
So besides pointing out that the GI Joes clearly had a better organizational structure than Cobra (and also suggesting that you should look for a company that’s like the Joes than one where your boss yells “Curssssesssss!” every time someone makes a mistake), what does this have to do with your job search?
Specialization. As I said, the GI Joes had special agents who could handle any task. And while there were some all-purpose agents on the squad, there were many more who were there because they could do something that no one else could do as well as they could, if at all.
We’ve already talked about developing expertise a couple times, but this is a more involved and critical step. You need to corner the market on some specific and valuable skill that will make employers choose you over the other applicants. Like if you’re the only CPA who also is a CPM, or if you’re a financial adviser with licenses in several other states bordering your own. It could be as simple as becoming proficient at a new program, or as difficult as gaining a new license or certification. But if you can prove to your potential employer that you can bring not only the expected talents to the table, but also some that would enhance the organization as a whole, you’ve just jumped to the short-list.
Please be aware that different organizations and industries prize different aptitudes on different scales, much like job experiences. I have had several interviews where I was asked about my programming and coding experience, whereas in others, I was asked about my foreign language skills. Make sure you are choosing specialties that can be applied in a multitude of ways and compliment each other.
Because as much as I could sit here and talk about that one time Snow Job totally skiied down that hill with a bomb and saved everyone, the Joes still won’t call him if they’re in the jungle. Or the desert. Or on water. Or pretty much anywhere that isn’t snowy.
BONUS CONTENT: Sure, you and I might kick back and relax after a long day of job searches and freelance work by watching some TV or reading a good book, but what do the GI Joes and Cobra do? Click here to find out!
