Star Trek is hitting the big screen once morewith the prequel to the original TV series with characters James T. Kirk, Mr. Spock, Dr. McCoy, Lt. Uhura, Engineer Scotty, Mr. Sulu and Mr. Chekov.
I was a huge fan during reruns in the 70s, so I pulled some job search lessons from those original 80 episodes. Use these tips and you will no doubt live long and prosper!
When Captain Kirk needed extra power to get the Enterprise and her crew out of danger, it was Scotty who came through with the dilithium crystals and the ship was quickly into warp speed and out of danger.
What dilithium crystals do you need to propel your job search? Do you have to network more effectively? Does your resume need work? Do some troubleshooting here and get the gear you need to succeed.
In the episode “Trouble With Tribbles”, something that seemed innocent enough turned out to be a serious threat. As it turned out, Tribbles multiplied like rabbits, and if that wasn’t problematic enough, they ate all of the “quadro-triticale” which was the precious wheat packed away in storage.
Troubleshooting your job search is critical and necessary: sometimes it’s the most obvious thing you are missing: your resume has an error in it. Your interview skills are not where they need to be. Sometimes, you need to consult a career coach to find out what the issue could be. I remember mock interviewing a seasoned HR professional who said 2 or 3 things wrong during an interview that would knock her out of the running immediately.
Once I pointed them out to her, she landed a job and has been very happy since.
Ricardo Montalban played Khan, one of the most memorable characters in the original series. Khan tried to out maneuver Kirk, and steal the Enterprise for his own, using his genetically enhanced, superior intelligence. In a job search, it takes more than intelligence to land a job. In addition to having the necessary skills and abilities, you need passion and enthusiasm. When I headed staffing for Merrill Lynchand Citigroup, I would always search for qualified candidates, and once I found a slate of 3 or 4, I would almost always hire the enthusiastic person – the one that had passion. It makes all the difference.
Use the best characteristics of Star Trek’s original characters to ensure you are on track: use Captain Kirk’s creative problem solving skills to figure out what to do next.
Use the logic of Mr. Spock and the communication skills of Lt. Uhura. Scotty was the engineer who did his research and knew the Enterprise like the back of his hand.
Mr. Sulu and Mr. Chekov were both steady as a rock always plotting the right course for the enterprise.
And, of course, Dr. McCoy was always there to ensure people were healthy and feeling great. These are all skills you need for your job search.
Now all you have to do is stay away from anyone who can do the Vulcan mind-meld.
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Connie Thanasoulis-Cerrachio is a career coach and co-founder of and has worked for the bluest of blue chips for the past 25 years. Her companies include Citigroup, Pfizer, and most recently as the COO of Campus Recruiting for Merrill Lynch. Connie also co-authors a career blog for Vault.com.
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