# 150: Job Crafting by Square Thinkers?
Story behind the Passage
We do live in a funny world. Today I just realized this again in the context of people in the public sector talking about jobs and how to tailor applications. You know, I am very good at reading what people want and how you can give it to them. And job descriptions obviously make sense, no doubt , for both parties. Applicants need to know that they would be supposed to do if they got the job. And the organization needs to be clear about what they need and which position to invest in. But there is one tiny mistake in the system:
The people.
Well, let me be a bit more specific by explaining the logic: First, there are the people hiring. They increasingly push the aspect of “fit” and invent very funny statistically sound methods of finding evidence for this fit. So, they basically sort out people who do not fit at first sight based on their written applications. Consequently, people make their applications fit. What this demonstrates is NOT that they actually fit but that they are able to read the job announcement and that they are creative enough to twist and turn their profile according to these demands. You might call this smart or stupid — depending on your value system. Then, in turn, if they get invited to interviews, they make sure they do not violate their “fitness” by bringing up stuff that does not fit the profile. So, they mostly shut up and say just as much as is asked of them. And so the story continues. They basically build their own prison — but both sides are happy (at first) because they celebrate “personal fit” for the position.
Oh, my Gosh, this is so old world!
This is why I picked the paper about job crafting today. Before I get to that, let me just give you the important message in a nutshell which also explains why I am calling this post “job crafting by square thinkers.” The metaphor of the square comes from a dear friend of mine. She is an expert on intercultural coaching and she knows very well how members of other cultures think about Germans: “They are square,” people often answer if you ask them about their typical associations with Germans. What they mean is that Germans like drawing boxes around stuff and people all the time — in their minds and on paper. So, when they write a job profile, this equals the box. And then they look for the person that “perfectly” (this is another favorite word of Germans) fit the profile. In other words: This is the opposite of job crafting.
In other cultures and, I would argue, in the “new world” of the Generation Z and in the world of hands-on game changers, this works a bit differently. You look at the person and the creative power this person brings to the table. And if there is cultural fit, i.e., value congruence and you see potential, you hire the person and you build the profile around that person. This is the opposite of square thinking. I would call it star thinking — you allow the person to build an edgy but highly innovative and valuable profile. Thus, you end up with a unique shape that the person creates builds on his/her strengths. These strengths will create maximum value for your organization. And — surprise, surprise — getting to this point does not take five interview rounds and a mountain of paperwork. It takes good old experience, gut feeling, people reading skills and balls to follows your intuition. This is job crafting — in my view. Now, let us look at what science says about this.
My Learnings
“However, there has been little research on how the mindset, especially public sector employee’s goal orientation, adapt to the changing and challenging world of work.” There is actually not too much I want to say about this because it is all in this little blurb above and in the study which you can read online (and in many others about the topic). The reason why I am choosing this sentence is because the word “mindset” appears in it. Whenever I deal with people who have not really been in touch with the work world of the digital future, I do not see any mindset shift so far. They still insist on people making their profiles fit. In other words: They want people to lie rather than show who they are. They want them to be “mainstream” applicants, to use that word. To me, only mainstream people always follow the rules.
As you know — I hardly ever follow rules. Especially not those of “square thinkers.”
Yes, I know, it is stupid to provoke being rejected because you do not give people what they want to read. So, square German public officials probably want to read that the applicant fits the profile. And if they do not read this in the cover letter or the CV, they reject the person. The funny — even the highly ironical — thing is: They do that with peple they know already! That is so insane. I know, everything today needs to be transparent and many different people are involved in personnel decisions. I am not promoting nepotism. But the point is. Hello, is there any common sense among square thinkers (in Germany)? If you have a candidate that you appreciate and you know that the person fits in culturalls and you belive this person has the potential to do great things — why would you tell the person to twist and turn the profile to make him-/herself fit in? After all, every unnecessary recruiting step costs MONEY! And by unnecesary I mean: mostly irrelevant for the outcome of the decision.
This is so funny and so sad at the same time.
But it really shows the difference between the mindsets ruling different organizations and sectors. I would also say, it clearly demonstates the difference between entre-/intrapreneurial thinking and being a “servant.” Or, this is even more to the point, it also demonstrates the difference between artists and administrators (the two can overlap, of course, but rarely). Any person with a creative mindset and or entrepreneurial drive knows that there is only one chance to really be successful: Be yourself! Be different and show that difference. Not because you want to provoke or be a rebel. Only because all of us are different individuals and any self-imposed uniformity is the opposite of authentic. If you always go by what other people tell you, you will not make it. You will always be one step behind. Only if you stick to your own stuff, no matter how much you might doubt that yourself at first, you will discover at some point that this is exactly what will be needed, even if nobody ever expected it. But that only works if you are:
Not mainstream.
Not square.
Not twisting and turning your profile to fit in.
So, I guess, the mindset shift, especially in the public sector, might take some more time. But the good thing about non-square thinkers is that we do not care. If we stay true to ourselves, we are always ready to do great things — if people let us do them; if people allow us to “craft our jobs” for the benefit of the organization. The only problem is that people who are able to do this usually do not even want to work in organizations that think the square way, even if they accidentally get in. Or is there some middle path?
I do not see it.
Reflection Questions
1) Are you a job crafter? Why/not?
2) When you hire people or are involved in selection processes, what do you pay most attention to (e.g., CV, cover letter, interview…)?
3) How do you personally define an “entrepreneurial mindset”?