You'd Be Mad

I’ve got bad news. You’re going to be mad. At least, you should be mad. Who you get mad at is still to be determined. Ready for my news? Someone with fewer qualifications and lower professional standards than you landed a job for more money than you’ve been brave enough to ask for today. How do I know? Because it happens every day.

Though top-notch skills and impeccable professionalism are great, they rarely land people jobs by themselves. Opportunity knocks for those able to make meaningful connections, generate buzz around themselves and summon the courage to risk hearing no to have a chance at the ultimate yes. Those three traits may have little to do with how the person will perform in a job, but they have everything to do with getting an interview and offer.

When we take a moment, most of us can think of individuals who got a shot at a profession/position they weren’t necessarily qualified for. Michael Jordan played baseball. Do you think there were better players he beat out? I hope so. Arnold Schwarzenegger was governor of California. Paris Hilton was paid to sing. The list goes on. These are well-known names, but I assure you the same thing happens on a smaller scale in offices around America.

Some will say it isn’t fair others beat them out because of name recognition or connections. Tough. It’s how the world spins at times. You can be mad at human nature, or you can be mad at yourself for not doing what you can to make it work in your favor.

Lisa Parker, '95, is the senior director of Alumni Engagement for the MSU Alumni Office. Her prior experience includes 17 years of progressive leadership roles in third-party recruitment.