David Diana

We all know finding work in today’s marketplace isn’t easy. However, if you’re considering a job change or are just starting your mental health career you might want to take a look at the following principles. They can help you build a highly effective job search campaign. 1) Think Different There are lots of obstacles and challenges no matter what your profession. And each industry brings its own unique set of circumstances. But perhaps the biggest roadblock for many in our field is when a person cannot see beyond the more traditional opportunities available in the marketplace. I was guilty of this for years. I looked where the obvious paths were – private practice, state metal health systems, schools. Need I say more?

Many years ago a famous retailer introduced a new high-end kitchen product. It was the best they had to offer and naturally, their most expensive. When they introduced this item they were expecting to reach a small niche consumer base, but surprisingly, the retailer witnessed a different phenomenon altogether. Sales for the old item that was replaced in both price and prestige more than doubled immediately upon introduction of the newer higher end item. In less than a few months the retailer sold more of the older item than they had the entire year prior. What happened? The answer can be found when one has a better understanding of the psychology of customer choice, and it offers some interesting insights into how to go to market with the services you provide.

I’m not a big “list” person (even though lists are known to be a blogging best practice). But this past week I found myself swimming in ideas. Ideas I wanted to share. So today I am purposefully breaking my “one idea – one message” rule. Here are some interesting thoughts worth pondering. 1) Be Mindful of “The Big Three”. If you do nothing else, keep these three market realities at the forefront of your mind. They will have a positive or negative impact on your business and career depending on how well you understand and utilize them. - Market Fragmentation is your window of opportunity. Gatekeepers are disappearing all over the place, leaving you with possibilities not available ten years ago. Don’t miss the boat!

“Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one.” - Albert Einstein In the mid 1960’s, a lanky teenager named Dick Fosbury was working on his high jump technique with limited results. At that time, the “correct” method for high jumping was known as the straddle method. It’s an obvious technique whereby the jumper approaches the bar head on, kicks one foot up over the bar and then rolls over the bar face down. Fosbury tried and tried to perfect this technique but in the eyes of the high jumping world, he was a below average performer.

“Would you like to watch Spiderman? It’s on TV right now.” I asked my son one Saturday morning. “I don’t watch THIS Spiderman show dad,” he said as if I should’ve known better. “It’s boring. I saved a different Spiderman show on the DVR. It’s way cooler.” In that moment, my six-year-old son unknowingly reminded me of the reality that is today’s marketplace. And that little reminder has BIG implications for our profession.