What is holding you back? Could it be fear? Do ghosts interfere with your job or job search?
Do you hate your job, but stick with it because you know the people and politics? Are you facing a possible layoff by the end of the year? How can you conquer your fear during job search?
Finances
Let’s name the fear. If your fear is financial, study the monster and lighten your load. Don’t buy alcohol. Cancel excess cable channels. Fire the housekeeper. Talk with your creditors to alert them about your issues. Don’t let your kids browbeat you into buying $100 tennis shoes. Hide some cash for the holiday gifts now. Face the reality that it could be a long haul.
Momentum
You need to remind yourself constantly that your job is to find another job. Rather than trying to find a job with the same requirements of your current or most recent job, think creatively. If you are stuck, you might want to read a good book to pump new energy into your job search.
Post-it notes may help. Place them on the refrigerator, the bathroom mirror and in your car. The notes may say:
“Get over it,” if you are harboring anger.
“Today’s the Day!” OR
“I will hear from my next employer today.”
Affirmations may seem silly, but they help you maintain momentum.
A quiet time daily for inspiration helps, as well. No matter how hard you work, you don’t have total control; other factors intervene.
Time
Conquer time management. Block time on your calendar for items on your “to do” list. Spend more time on the telephone or in person networking than on the computer. If you decide to spend eight hours a day on job search, then two to three hours a day on the computer can be accomplished nights and week-ends. Accountability and organization play an integral role in your search. Maintain accurate records, as if you are in sales, to see what happens when your activity improves. That means you must track the number of phone calls, phone interviews, networking meetings and interviews.
Often I hear from people who suddenly see a bigger picture. If unemployed, the time may be important to help an aging parent or special needs child. If employed, remaining in that boring job may help you keep your sanity when the spouse decides to leave for “greener pastures. Maybe the time is ripe for you to start Plan B, the business you’ve envisioned for years.
Ghosts
Ghosts live with all of us. Maybe you call them another name but ghosts from our past can erode confidence during job search. If someone in you life gives you grief daily about finding a job, you may rebel, as a child might. When we are stressed, we don’t always behave as sane people. Perhaps a ghost from your childhood told you that you would never amount to anything or that you lacked the intelligence to become an engineer or a public speaker. Our ghosts may affect us more than we realize. What “voices” do you need to kill, which play with your mind when you start to make a phone call? Perhaps you can identify that “ghost” and slay it forever!
Look carefully at what you are avoiding. I could become psychological or philosophical about this, but the bottom line is clear. You can play the blame game, be tortured by your ghosts from the past and/or present or you can murder the monsters and move away from your fear.
Happy Halloween!
If you would like a spreadsheet to assist with your marketing and time management while looking for work, please send an email to careers.@hotcareers.com for your free template.
Reminder: Sachse LIbrary is sponsoring a writers group. The organizational meeting is at 6:30 p.m., October 29, 2013. If you are an author in the area, want to blog, write articles, fiction, a memoir for your family, please contact the library or me for details at careers@hotcareers.com about the group.