Path

At this point you’re tired. Even if you’ve got plenty of money in the bank, you’re tired and possibly annoyed. You’ve been searching for MONTHS ON END. You’ve had interviews with rejections or interviews with ghosting. You’ve put in SO MUCH WORK and you feel fruitless. But are you?

Think about the day you lost your job. You started working on your resume, updating your profiles and letting people know that you are ready for your next opportunity. Every day up to now and since then, you’ve been at it. You’ve networked, you’ve reached out to direct contacts on applications, you’ve spoken to everyone you’ve worked with over the years. There haven’t been any offers. Let me explain to you why your efforts have not been for nothing.

When you’re available for work, your name gets around. Negative feeds on LinkedIn would like you to think otherwise but it’s really true. People have been viewing your profile and viewing your resume. They don’t have the need now but they may soon. Believe it or not, some company recruiters start searching the field before they’ve even posted the job. Wouldn’t it be easier for them to contact you and talk to you to see if you align with the role instead of going through dozens of resumes? Absolutely. And if they find the right person they’ve probably saved their company lots of money in resources. Do not think for a moment that you aren’t seen.

Suppose that you updated your resume but you never tailored it to any specific company. You STILL have a shot. Resume writers and SaaS platforms that say they can advance your chances can boost you but by how much really? You do what is comfortable to you in your job search. Don’t let anyone tell you you’re doing it wrong. If you’re applying, you’re doing it right. If you add a cover letter you’re doing it better. If you put personal touches on your resume to every employer you’re doing great.

It’s important to remember that your job hunt is a journey that leads you somewhere. You’re never not going to be employed. Every company needs SOMEONE like you. Consider a different mindset. Instead of beating yourself up for not getting results, praise yourself for not quitting. Pat yourself on the back for sitting at your computer every day sending in applications. Every single thing you do is one step forward down the path to your next position. Consider that the path you’ve walked up until now has had the same views whether you look left or right. Remember how you’ve gotten interviews? Consider that the interviews are rocks or indicators that you’re close to your destination. Close to that new opportunity. Wouldn’t that make your stride more confident?

Self belief is powerful. When you go into an interview, talk to the interviewer like you already HAVE THE JOB. Selling yourself is harder to do than shop talk and good hiring managers LOVE shop talk. That tells them that you know the ins and outs of what they do. That comes from self confidence though. Its no sweat on the job that you’re applying for. You HAVE the experience. You HAVE the knowledge. You HAVE the perseverance. How? What do you think you’ve been doing for the last few months? Its just like a job finding work isn’t it? You can bring the same intense level of effort to the job you want that you’ve used in finding work.

Lets talk about faith. Your faith. What or who do you believe in? Do you believe in God (or the other names God is known as according to your religion)? Maybe the universe? Maybe just yourself? Take into your very self what you believe in and be grateful. I believe that great things come to us when we’re grateful for them. You applied for a great job the other day. Thank whatever you believe in for giving you the opportunity to apply. You got an interview the other day but it hasn’t or it has already happened. Thank whatever you believe in for the chance to have done that. Don’t stop there though. SEE yourself in the role you want. SEE everything you’ve ever wanted and give yourself PERMISSION to have those things.

Changing your mindset to one of gratitude can change how you feel about this journey. You get to get up in the morning, go for a walk, breathe, admire some nature. Maybe you have a family member you haven’t thought about in a while. Gather up all of the good you have in your life and be thankful for those things. Look forward to those good things you’ve given yourself permission to have. Self permission can be liberating. It casts out your doubts and your fears. The beauty isn’t only that you feel a change. Others can see it too. Others such as employers. You’ve gone from being some person on a screen to being someone THEY WANT TO WORK WITH. If you suffer a setback from the job you wanted, that means there is something EVEN GREATER waiting for you.

The path to a new role isn’t just about the logistics of looking and applying. Its what you learn about the journey along the way and its also what you learn about yourself. Job loss changes us and always for the better. Consider one more thing. Throughout your life you’ve outgrown your clothing or you’ve worn it to the point of needing to be thrown out. It still may have been your favorite but it’s time to let it go. Consider that your old job was like this. In your life you’ll outgrow or wear out clothing and go out and buy new clothing but when you’re looking for new clothing it may take a while to decide if you want to buy it. Thats what the job hunt is and its as much your right to evaluate a potential employer as it is for them to evaluate you. You’re between jobs like you’re between clothing but the clothing you go to buy is better than what you had before. So you lost your old job. The next one will be WAY BETTER.