You are applying for a job, and are meeting only half of the total skills required. Among the remaining skills that you don’t possess, you’ve only heard a few of them and the rest never even heard of. Maybe you have some evidence with you, that you have done some activities before in life that you had to spontaneously do.
Be it the first time you decided to ride a bicycle without training wheels or when you first removed your pool float to swim. But yet there is no direct evidence to prove that you have the capability, to overcome this lack of skills for the job.
What would you do? Well definitely each of us would react differently. Most would hesitate but still apply. Some would try to know the basics of these skills after applying. Some would just not go ahead with the application as in their opinion it would fail. It could mean being rejected by the company or failing at the job if accepted.
Who of them is doing the right thing? No one can know. But who has a chance of making it through? There can be something said in this case. This is where Kierkegaard’s Leap of Faith comes into the picture.
But before we directly dive into the answer, let’s know a bit about Kierkegaard’s Leap of Faith and his concept briefly. Søren Kierkegaard, a Danish philosopher in his works on Existentialism introduced the concept of a leap of faith to the west. The idea has already been reciprocated in some or other way in Hindu or Buddhist ideologies (and many more that I am unaware of) but let’s stick to the idea itself.
To put up the concept, it simply says, “An act of believing in or accepting something outside the boundaries of reason”
Not a concept of rocket science, right? Exactly, but it is equally mysterious! Coming back to our job application scenario, so how does Kierkegaard’s Leap of Faith apply here? And what does it have to do with the chances of success?
The applicants that did not apply, irrespective of their skill levels had a certain 0% chance of succeeding. No doubts about that. Now the ones that applied, given their skill levels that were not enough, what happened to them?
Some of them make a half-hearted application stating, “What’s the point in investing so much time and effort when they are PROBABLY going to reject me? “
And you know what it results in. A poorly written cover letter and an out-of-date resume are sent. And these applicants have assessed their lack of skills by their evaluations. What are the chances of them getting the job? You know it.
Although more than those who didn’t apply, the prospects don’t look that great. And what about those that put in their soul in writing the cover letter, updating the resume before applying? They put in all they had; time, resources and in the process got attached to it.
Looks good for the probability of success. And honestly, you also want them to get the job and win, right? But can they always assuredly win? No, there is no such assurance. But their act exactly represents Kierkegaard’s Leap of Faith.
They had to have an unreasonable amount of faith, and faith induced energy to make their applications in the best possible manner from their side. That’s the power of Kierkegaard’s Leap of Faith. And it can be applied in so many aspects of our lives.
If you are confessing your feelings to someone, you need to go in full-fledged exposing yourself to the devastation of rejection. What would be your chances if you are trying to save yourself the humiliation and only make a half-hearted attempt?
The same goes for the case when you take up a project, an activity that promises no returns or success. You need to go all-in, attached as if your life depends on it and knowing at the same time that the failure can break you down. That’s your best chance of succeeding!
And even if it doesn’t turn out good, isn’t it the best possible thing that could happen? If you don’t apply, you reject yourself. If you tried half-heartedly but failed; the thought that you could have done better will keep haunting you even after the failure.
But when you have given it all and yet failed, then you can peacefully close the chapter, analyse your limitations and approaches and have a good night’s sleep acknowledging ‘all that was done, what could be done.’
You already know what challenge awaits you, right? So when are you taking Kierkegaard’s Leap of Faith?
Good Read Bro!