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A Job Search Is Your Chance to Get It Right
Consider all the aspects of your life that your job influences.
Few endeavours in life are as challenging and when done right, as rewarding as finding a new job. Job searching is a journey filled with uncertainties, rejection, and doubts. When faced with such challenges, imagine the mental power you could cultivate by considering your job search as your chance to get the most influential factor in your life, your job, right, or as close to "right" as possible.
I recently met with a job seeker who appeared to be in their late 40s. After eight years with a national telecommunications company, the last three as regional director of sales and marketing, he was let go due to structural changes, a common occurrence nowadays.
What I found remarkable was his excitement about his job search, which has been ongoing for over five weeks. Rather than being anxious, angry, and frustrated that he was job searching, as most job seekers are, he was excited about all the possibilities his job search could lead to...
working remotely
making more money
having a boss that actually "gets him"
having four weeks of paid vacation
being part of an RRSP matching contribution plan
doing meaningful work and therefore being happier
... his list went on.
He understood how his job colours every aspect of his life. Therefore, he saw his job search as a tremendous opportunity to improve his life.
Consider all the aspects of your life that your job influences, a few being:
Where you live.
The car you drive.
Where you vacation.
The quality of your children's education.
Your identity. (There is a reason, when first meeting, people ask each other, "What do you do?")
It has been my experience that a job search, especially when unplanned, often turns out to be a blessing in disguise, resulting in finding a better job and a better working environment. Understandably, most job seekers do not view job searching as a blessing, resulting in a negative attitude.
You should view your job search as more than just finding a job to secure financial stability. Think of it as an opportunity to redefine your purpose, explore new horizons, and reset your life. When treated as a chance for "life improvements," which is how my conversation partner treats his job search, it becomes a transformative journey of self-discovery and growth.
Embracing Change:
Being open to change and leaving behind the familiar is the key to making your job search as stress-free as possible. A job search offers a wealth of opportunities for transformation (READ: Create the life you want.). However, to take advantage of them, you must step out of your comfort zone and re-evaluate your skills and passions. Self-reflection and a realistic assessment of your strengths, weaknesses, and aspirations are necessary for this process.
When you actively seek out new opportunities, the essence of a job search, prioritizing your needs and wants, you begin to understand yourself and your true desires better, increasing your self-awareness, which is a competitive advantage.
Exploration and Reinvention:
Your job search is a chance to explore different industries, job roles, and possibly living elsewhere. By broadening your perspective, you may discover hidden passions, untapped talents, and previously unimagined career paths. Job searching is an opportunity to align your values and passions with your work, creating a sense of fulfillment.
Personal Growth and Resilience:
Job seekers will inevitably experience rejection and setbacks during their job search. Resilience and personal growth are fostered by these challenges. Each rejection or setback teaches valuable lessons, cultivating adaptability and determination. In adversity, perseverance builds character and strengthens your resolve to overcome future obstacles with grit and determination.
Expanded Networks and Connections:
Networking—introducing yourself to people who can help your job search and building connections—is an essential part of job searching. As you engage with individuals from diverse backgrounds, you broaden your horizons and stimulate your intellectual and personal development. Networking exposes you to new perspectives and opportunities, often leading to making new friends or finding a mentor.
The connections you make while job searching do not end when you land a job. When maintained, these connections can be invaluable resources that can shape your professional trajectory.
Discovering Purpose:
Looking for a job that provides more than a paycheck is a quest of sorts—a search for meaning and purpose. Your life's purpose becomes more evident when you reflect on your skills, interests, and values. Your job search is your chance to align—to "get it right"—your work with your purpose, leading to greater job satisfaction and living a more fulfilling life.
When viewed positively, such as the job seeker I spoke to was viewing their job search, a job search you will see that your job search is your chance to reorient your life toward purpose and fulfillment rather than just pursuing jobs that are only a means to an end. By embracing change, exploring new avenues, and fostering personal growth, allowing your job search to be a transformative journey, you will open doors to uncharted possibilities.
When you see all the opportunities job searching offers you regarding reorienting your life, you realize job searching is good for you.
Nick Kossovan, a well-seasoned veteran of the corporate landscape, offers “unsweetened” job search advice. You can send Nick your questions to artoffindingwork@gmail.com.
A Job Search Is Your Chance to Get It Right
I agree with some of this. A job search can be all those positive things mentioned. However, even if you approach your job search positively, it doesn't mean your job search will be a good experience taking you closer to your "real" goals for your career. It's insensitive to paint that one-sided picture. You do mention the setbacks and disappointments. What is wrong with that is the idea that, in other words, "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger," or more knowledgeable, or brings you closer to knowing who you are and what you want. This isn't necessarily true. On your 100th rejection, all you may learn is that now you have 100 instead of 99.
The toll a job search can take in terms of the rejections, the stress, the hopelessness, the depression, the self-doubt and so on that creep closer to us in a prolonged job search is not a good thing. Can we survive it? Maybe. Is it good for us? I don't think everyone would say "yes" to this. Moreover, not everyone can afford to figure out and then chase their dream job. Sometimes they have to take the most available job out of necessity. People do have to pay bills, after all. A job search can be a devastating experience, however positive we try to make it. Please acknowledge this for the sake of your readers. A little empathy would go a long way in admitting that making the job search a good thing is not always something under our control.