It’s a job battle field out there and it calls for a warrior spirit. Whether you live in the illusion that you possess “job security” or you are swinging from the vine hoping the limb won’t break before you hit the ground, this is no time for the faint of heart. Knowing that your job is a battlefield makes you appreciate the times when you can kick back and enjoy the ride even when you are not always sure where that ride will take you.
The next time you feel like throwing a pity party because you are stuck in a dead-end job or still haven’t found one, stop and take a moment. Suffering from the fear of failure, or worrying about what is coming next is not going to help you move forward no matter how much you tell yourself it will. Doubt is a feeling we all struggle with especially when we are burdened with an unstable economy and a sagging job market. Finding your way out from the middle of your own fears, no matter how scary truly is the only way to look ahead.
When you think of what you have versus what you do not have, it may make you feel grateful or depressed. Holding onto a job you can’t stand for fear you’ll never find one that you will love, is like staying in a bad relationship because you are afraid to be alone. When you face the fear that holds you back, you have a fighting chance to rise above the chaos surrounding your career and find what you truly desire.
The fears you face whether you are currently employed or desperately seeking a new position, need to be embraced and you need to boldly stare down your enemy for who and what it is. Identifying and coping with your job fear factors are a way for you to kick fear in the teeth before it takes a bite out of your ambition and your self-confidence.
Your job search is an adventure. When you think of the infinite possibilities out there you will be less concerned about making a mistake. When you are willing to take risk in your quest for a new job, you can move forward without expectation and enjoy the journey. By focusing on the outcome of each and every interview, meeting or networking event you will likely drive yourself mad and miss out on the important opportunity right in front of you.
As the song goes, “You can’t always get what you want,” but you will always get what you need. When it comes to focusing on what it will take to make you happy in your career, you need to discover what truly drives your ambitions. Is it money? Is it title? Is it freedom? Is it creativity? Is it routine?
Sometimes you feel like no matter what you do you just can’t seem to get it right. All the resume rewrites, networking parties, email requests, introductions and you still can’t get a job offer. When the going gets tough you don’t necessarily need to get going-in the other direction. When the jobs fall through, you...
Seems these days it’s not such a bad thing to be sitting on your bum, getting a tan, catching up on your reading or any other activity you were meaning to get to and couldn’t because you were over-worked and well, very employed. It’s not that your lazy by any means. So next time someone gives you a dirty look or rolls their eyes because you are still looking for your next job, just smile and clap your hands.
Standing in the way of every great dream, each new idea, a desire to excel and the will to achieve is a nagging doubt, an uncertainty, a question you should ask yourself, do you deserve to succeed? Knowing what you want and how to get it are factors in your ability to take hold of your career and forge a plan towards achieving any goal. Looking beneath the surface of where you are in your life now, if you are happy and if you are not, why you may be unable to change could provide the hidden key towards unlocking the door towards your success.
Making the most of a bad situation these days takes a lot more than prayer, a glass of champagne, and getting lost in your iPad. If you’ve been lost looking for a ray of hope in the otherwise cloudy skies of the job market, just look up and if that doesn’t help and you are still in some serious doubt, then change it up.
Are you a specialist or a generalist? Choosing between the two will determine how successful you are in your job search. Which one are you?
Not that you'd want to approach your job like a hit man, but what you make of your career choices is truly an inside job.
When your job search is like online dating, it's good to know what you are looking for before something picks you?
Does your job search feel like you are riding the circle of life on an Amusement Park Ferris Wheel?
Creating your opportunity is like figuring out what to do on a deserted road, do you sit and wait for help or do you create your own rescue mission and save yourself.
When it comes to your job search strategy, are you an activist, or do you just post & pray?
Choosing your job or having your job choose you is like finding a date on match.com-you just never know what you are going to get?
Getting ahead any way you can? Why greed is good for your career, your job search and your wallet. Find creative ways to use greed to your advantage when looking for your next job.
When is taking crap from your job enough? Is the paycheck worth it or do you just have really thick skin? Making a choice between finding a respectful job and what your paycheck can buy in a tough job market need not be that difficult if you know what options you have available to you.
Frustrated about your job search? Ready to kick not only the tires? It's OK, to get angry if you are not moving in the right direction. Just remember to vent, release and move on...
Are you committing career suicide? Setting yourself up for failure whether you intend to or not? Stop sabotaging yourself and focus on how to help not hurt your career search efforts.
Finding more creative ways to expand your job search? Try getting more action and less drama from your career search by creating a Jobisode.
This is the abstract that displays elsewhere on AWN - in our department and creative-focus listings as well as on our home page in the blog section. You should keep this to 1 or 2 sentences (about the size of the box provided) and make it snappy - this will be seen outside the context of your blog and the title of the post plus this abstract should entice people who see it to read it.
