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Thirteen Months, 123 Resumes, 3 Interviews (Part 1)
For most job seekers, the numbers just don’t make sense.
The ratio of resumes sent to interviews received looks like the Leaning Tower of Pisa…just before it hits the ground.
The bad news? This is typical.
The good news? This is typical.
So what do you do? You focus on what you can control: your emotions and your strategy.
First things first. Remember that you choose how you think about your situation. Your thinking influences your emotions; your emotions influence your behavior. So it all starts in your head.
Here are three suggestions for keeping your mind in the game when the rules don’t seem fair:
1. Focus on your activities, not their responses. Set your weekly goals for networking contacts, follow-ups, research activities, informational interviews, etc. Remember that the more people you have a strategic conversation with, the closer you get to your next job.
2. Fill your mind with positive thinking. This works. If you choose to focus on your discouragement, the hurt, and your frustration, your energy will decrease, you won’t be sharp in conversations or when writing cover letters, and you will find yourself getting lazy. (These do not contribute to finding a job!) Read good books, pray, meditate, create affirmations that keep your thinking focused, etc.
3. Give yourself one more hour to sit in your pain, and then move on. Sixty minutes. No more. Make the choice. Identify your hurts and frustrations—vent with a trusted friend, make a list in a notebook, and then discard of the thinking/emotions that are holding you back. Start over.
The Wall Street Journal has been following out-of-work professionals as they move through their transition. You may see yourself in the posting by John Brownrigg—he found a job after 16 months of unemployment.
It’s been several years since James Allen wrote As a Man Thinketh. This classic best-seller reminds us of the influence our thinking has on our reality. Millions of readers have found value in this short book’s message; I suggest adding it to your library.
In Part 2, we’ll compare your job search to The Wild Thing at the local amusement park. And then we’ll take a closer look at a few things you can do to keep control of your strategy.
