Are You Ready to Play Ball?

When they start the game, they don't yell, "Work ball." They say, "Play ball." ~ Willie Stargell, 1981

Do you like major league baseball? When you hear the street names Addison & Clark, do you know where you are? Do you know who said "It ain't over till it's over." Do baseball terms get tossed around in your day-to-day conversations? If so, you're like many of my clients who express their thoughts about looking for a job in sports-related terms, especially baseball:

In the ballpark: This term can be used to discuss salary and compensation matters.

Right off the bat: This term can be used when a hiring manager starts an interview conversation with "What are your salary expectations?"

Cover all the bases: This term can be used to describe the myriad of strategies and tactics one must use when looking for a new job.

Curve ball: This term can be used when a hiring authority asks an illegal, inappropriate, or weird question.

Swing and miss: This term can be used when you're trying to connect with someone and they don't return your phone call or e-mail.

Left field: This term can be used when you get a phone call you weren't expecting from a hiring manager or network contact.

Step up to the plate: This term can refer to the relentless focus and unwavering commitment it takes to look for a new job in a challenging and competitive economy.

Go to bat for: This term can refer to your references who can, and will, attest to your professional competencies.

Ninth inning: This term can be used when the interviewer asks you if you have any questions.

O-fer: This term can be used to describe the act of sending 284 resumes into cyberspace and not hearing back from one single employer.

Off base: This term can be used when you receive career information that is misguided, inaccurate, or flawed.

Screwball: This term can be used to describe the unpredictable nature of a job search.

Cleanup hitter: This term can be used to describe your ability to lead a team, resolve problems, and deliver results.

Home run: This term can be used to express your elation when a job offer arrives in the mail.

Job search - a team sport. Job search - a game of strategy. Job search - you have to play to win. Job search  - sometimes you're in a slump. Job search - every now and then, you hit a homer! Are you ready to play ball?

"It breaks your heart. It is designed to break your heart. The game begins in spring, when everything else begins again, and it blossoms in the summer, filling the afternoons and evenings, and then as soon as the chill rains come, it stops and leaves you to face the fall alone." ~ A. Bartlett Giamatti, "The Green Fields of the Mind," Yale Alumni Magazine, November 1977