When it comes to job hunting, many people are guilty of using the “spray-and-pray” method—they apply to a handful of positions and simply wait for a response. The cost of this approach is that candidates often take the first offer they receive, often out of fear of unemployment. Because companies move at varying rates (early-stage start-ups move quickly; larger, more established companies move slowly), this first offer rarely comes from the employer they most desire. I, myself, am guilty of resorting to this method early on in my career. We stick to the safest option, because we don’t believe we’re deserving of more.
Mindset is the Foundation
For the past five years, I’ve guided individuals through over a thousand negotiations, working predominantly with STEM PhDs, almost exclusively those with degrees in Computer Science; but, also in Applied Math, Statistics, Computational Biology, Neuroscience, Cognitive Science, and even Economics. In almost every case, I’ve found candidates' greatest challenge to be internal, rather than the external variables one would anticipate. For the sake of brevity, let’s term this barrier, for lack of a better word, “mindset.”
Interview and negotiation processes begin before they commence; how and what you think of yourself determines the jobs you apply for, and this feeds into and permeates the subsequent procedures. Because candidates’ mindsets are the bedrock of negotiations, they need to be solid and secure. If you enter into a negotiation with a scarcity mindset, any and all leverage you may have had will dissipate, placing you on the downside of the power dynamic. However cheesy, if you don’t believe in yourself, no one else will.
The Comparison Trap
A scarcity mindset stems from the cyclical trap of focusing on what you don’t have and what you can’t do: the school you didn’t get into, the internship you didn’t get, insecurity about the quality of your work. Combine this with dwelling on the seeming abilities and achievements of your peers, and you’ve devised the executioner of your aspirations. In comparing ourselves to others, not only do we undermine our perceived sense of confidence, but we also create a kind of distance that makes any and all connection with our prospective employer impossible. Rapport such as this is make-or-break in the hiring process.
In the same vein, this mindset engenders a state of diffidence that affects one’s own choices during their job search. When you feel unworthy of employment at a certain company, or doubt your ability to excel at a certain role, you unintentionally concede your candidacy. Paired with the fear of unemployment, when you undermine your value, you fall into the trap of “settling.” Such people will often accept the first offer they receive, even if it’s their last choice—their “safety” job—assuming that their dream job is just that: a dream. You preemptively take yourself out of the running before you’re ever rejected.
Control What You Can; Release What You Can’t
Telling someone not to carry a scarcity mindset is, however, easier said than done. Like telling someone to be happy when they’re sad—its feasibility seems purely theoretical. In practice, there need to be procedures in place that help shift your mindset. I tell my clients this: release that which you can’t control. Oscillating market variations, what companies are looking for, other candidates’ resumes—these are fixed variables; they inhabit the space outside of that which can be personally influenced. Instead, I shift clients’ focus toward independent variables: the amount of interview preparation, their interpersonal skills, their safety net (which naturally boosts their ego), etc. The interview process is imperfect; it's not a setting that can capture a candidate in totality. Soft skills are better at conveying the essence of an individual. This is why the conversations that take place post-offer stage can lead to uplevels or increases in compensation—it's a less interrogative dialogue where employers can better see you.
The Flip: Act “as if”
To many, the concept of an “abundance” mindset sounds frivolous. Like the concept of manifestation, it can be characterized by a mysticism likened to pseudoscience. In reality, it isn’t—it's simply a shift in perception. And one of the best ways to foster this shift in mindset is by acting “as if.” To help clients do this, or idiomatically “fake it ‘til they make it,” I have them consider the following questions: How would you act if you had multiple offers? Would you accept the first one? Would you move without haste? Would you try to negotiate a more ambitious compensation? How would you carry yourself if you knew a seven-figure compensation was guaranteed to you with the proper preparation?
You don’t need to have concrete leverage to generate the kind of self-assuredness it induces. You can take a shortcut to the effect by almost tricking yourself in a way similar to a placebo. Waiting for a certain emotion before taking action keeps one stuck in a fruitless cycle. Action comes first. By acting “as if,” you not only alter your self-perception, but the way you’re perceived, and affect the outcome of your employment search.
Abundance ≠ Delusion
The “act as if” tactic can sound a lot like deluding oneself. In some way, it may be, but the truth is that your “imagined” leverage is likely more grounded in fact than you’d assume.
In the United States, the ratio of open research scientist/research engineer roles to potential candidates is lopsided; the former outweighs the latter. I would be lying if I told you that, at the nation’s top labs, it isn’t at all competitive. However, the competition you feel flanking you on all sides is enclosed in those upper echelons. So few people begin their careers at the highest of tiers and the most prestigious of institutions. Your lifelong career isn’t set in stone; you can climb the corporate ladder. An honest entry-level job can filter into a higher-ranking one, whether at the same company or another.
I’ve seen this kind of trajectory firsthand, with a client who initially accepted an entry-level position at a start-up. They continued their job search, and several months later, Google came knocking, intent on recruiting them. As a result of this sudden clout, we made a negotiation without even needing a counteroffer; their liquid compensation doubled.
An abundance mindset is not some false sense of confidence; the odds are quite literally in your favor. You will likely get where you want to go—if you’re diligent—regardless of the path you take to get there.
The Price of Scarcity
While the aforementioned scenario is an exemplar of upward mobility, I ordinarily advise against reneging on a signed role. If necessary, there are ways to defer offer “deadlines” such that you avoid harming professional relationships. Had the client not continued to look for career advancement opportunities, $250k would have remained on the table.
This is what a scarcity mindset can cost you. If you devalue yourself, chances are you will settle for that first offer—the fallback offer. And in doing so, you could literally rob yourself of hundreds of thousands—even millions—of dollars.
Conclusion
Although the conviction that comes with an abundant mindset will get you far, it doesn’t entirely blot out the need to present tangible qualifications. In an effort to bolster this self-assurance, take an inventory of yourself like you would a company. You want to compile a list of your more favorable attributes: your technical prowess, interpersonal skills, academic achievements, awards, your character—anything and everything you feel proud of. Then, diagnose issues or problem areas that the respective company is weathering, identify detailed plans to resolve them, and demonstrate how your characteristics would be useful in their execution.
Nurturing a mindset shift is as much dependent on faking “it ‘til you make it” as it is on acknowledging and becoming gratified by what you do have and can do. A scarcity mindset is itself a form of “delusion.” To see things as they actually are is to concede to your value and recognize that the numbers are on your side. So stop deceiving yourself, and start building the corporeal case to enlighten your prospective employers too.
