Fight the Good Fight When Looking for a Job

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Summary

• Even with the right strategies, finding a job can be HARD
• During a job hunt, it's vital to MAINTAIN COMPOSURE
• If you don't, potential employers will sense that you're rattled, and your job hunt may become a downward vicious cycle.
• Remember - when things seem super hard, take that as a sign that you are getting closer and closer to a great opportunity.

Full Transcript

Hello career super star – today I want to talk about composure.

Specifically, maintaining composure when looking for a job.

Regardless of whether you’re just out of school looking for your first job, you’re between jobs looking for your next opportunity, or you’re currently in a job desperately seeking something new – finding a job can sometimes be hard. Really hard!

With the right methods and mindset – which is what we love to talk about here – finding a job can be easier. But let’s face it – it still can be a gauntlet.

That is why, one of the most important things to think about when looking for a job is to protect and maintain your composure. During any job search, it is absolutely vital that one maintain a mindset of abundance.

But you might ask, “but Eric! I’ve been looking for so long and have tried so many things – I’m starting to lose faith. I’m ready to give up!”

 When looking for a job – it is very easy to fall into this downward spiral where you lose hope, you encounter difficulty finding a great opportunity, you lose some more hope, and so forth. It becomes a vicious cycle because the more hopeless you become, the more potential employers can smell it, and the less attractive you likely are as a prospective hire.

 I don’t know if that is a situation you can relate to or not. But if it is, I wanted to share something that might help.

 In the past, when I’ve been in work situations that seemed hopeless, I’ve turned to a quote by Teddy Roosevelt, the rough rider, who said:

 “It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”

 You hear what TR is saying? He’s encouraging you to lean into the challenge. When you’re looking for a job, fight the good fight, don’t be afraid to fail, and never give up. Keep that mindset, despite the challenges, and you will eventually prevail.

In fact, I would argue that the harder your job quest becomes, and then harder you fight in response – that must be a sure sign that something new is right around the corner.

Don’t give up, keep the faith, and come back here for more career advice. Because, as always, I want you to get out there and show them what you can do.