Shift from ‘participant’ to ‘gamer’ in the job search game

Transitioning from the Australian Defence Force is difficult, but viewing the challenges outlined in other articles (especially ‘Turn challenges into opportunities’) as opportunities, makes this process manageable. This article will help you to adopt the mindset needed so that you enter the job search ready to land the job you want.

The job search should not be viewed as a boundless nether where you ‘apply and pray’ – but as a game that everyone is playing.

However, only a few are treating it like a game. In order to shift from a participant to a gamer, you should enter the job search with the mentality developed by the Australian Army called the ASDA Cycle.

The ASDA Cycle stands for Act, Sense, Decide, Adapt, where an ADF member must attempt to control the options available to their opponent so as to predict what they will do next, thus giving them time to plan and execute.

Rather than ‘observing’ the battlefield, the first step is to ‘Act’, which forces the opposing commander to adjust to your actions and make snap decisions. You then ‘Sense’ what has changed as a result of your actions, which grants you insight into how the opposing commander is thinking and help you to ‘Decide’ on what those changes mean. Then you ‘Adapt’ to mitigate your opponent’s actions and restart the cycle and ‘Act’. This provides the commander a sense of control over the battlespace.

The ASDA Cycle mindset can be applied to the civilian job search, with individuals who adopt this mindset striving to be the best candidate compared to their peers in half the time. They manipulate the ‘game’ to suit their interests and enter the workplace with a full understanding of what they want to do, how they need to do it, and how they can best manipulate the system to ensure they’re a success.

A great place to start is by registering as a mentee with WithYouWithMe, where our upskill program will help shift your mindset with guidance from a mentor who will place you on a pathway to land your perfect job.

Or, if you’re in a position to, register as a mentor if you would like to help ADF members make a seamless transition into your industry.

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By Tom Moore, CEO WithYouWithMe, a leading Australian veteran employment agency.

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Photo by Brian Hartigan

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