What Motivates Workers

When clients come to us seeking a job change, it's always interesting to hear their reasons for seeking a new job. Usually, it's not about pay (or, more accurately, not JUST about pay).

Author and researcher Frederick Herzberg has outlined his findings in two books:
"The Motivation to Work" and "Work and the Nature of Man."

Herzberg proposed the Motivation-Hygiene Theory, also known as the Two factor theory1959) of job satisfaction. According to his theory, people are influenced by two factors:

• Satisfaction, which is primarily the result of the motivator factors. These factors help increase satisfaction but have little effect on dissatisfaction.
• Dissatisfaction is primarily the result of hygiene factors. These factors, if absent or inadequate, cause dissatisfaction, but their presence has little effect on long-term satisfaction.

Motivator Factors

• Achievement
• Recognition
• Work Itself
• Responsibility
• Promotion
• Growth

Hygiene Factors

• Pay and Benefits
• Company Policy and Administration
• Relationships with co-workers
• Physical Environment
• Supervision
• Status
• Job Security

Courtesy: Wikipedia

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Put it In Writing

I've always been a big proponent of staying in touch with clients. Not only does it allow you to see the results of your actions -- how many times have clients not gotten back to you to report how their job search is going? -- but it also fosters repeat business and referrals.

E-mail is an easy inexpensive way to keep in touch (I recommend using an e-mail newsletter for consistency), but at least once a year, you should also mail something to your entire client base. It can be a special offer (perhaps a postcard each September to coincide with Update Your Resume Month), or a holiday card, or even a print newsletter.



In the next week, I'm mailing out more than 500 postcards to promote the release of our first Special Report, "Making Money as a Resume Subcontractor." While 500 names is only a fraction of my mailing list, I know there will be several dozen people who will have received e-mails from me but didn't open them (or their spam filter caught them) who will be surprised that the Resume Writers' Digest newsletter is back.

By the way, if you want to order the "Making Money as a Resume Subcontractor" 30-page special report (available for PDF download), you can do so here:

Mailings have an advantage over e-mail -- they're hard to ignore. And postcards are even better, because you don't have to open them up. So plan a mailing and take advantage of the power of print -- to reconnect with your clients, to spark new business, and to generate referrals.

Why We Do What We Do

I ran into a client today out "in public" -- he had just taken his first look at his draft and he chased me down to tell me this: "I read the draft and I'd love to meet the guy you wrote about." It was a compliment. He went on to tell me how great he thought the resume was -- how I captured exactly what it is he does (which was hard for me, because he's in IT, and I do *not* enjoy doing IT resumes) and what he has to offer his next employer.

That's what it's all about, isn't it? It's why we do what we do (besides the money, of course) -- it's the amazed look on the client's faces ... the excited phone calls when they get the job (especially, as one client recently told me, "Making more money than I've ever made before") ... and the relief when they figure out that you can help them. It's what makes up for the 2 a.m. I've-got-to-finish-this-draft-before-I-go-to-bed sessions, the PIA clients, the hassle of being our own boss.

Don't have a "kudos" folder yet? I recommend you start one. Look through it when you are working with a particularly difficult client, to remind yourself why we do what we do.