CareerBiz Coach

If you’ve been job-hunting for months, been to job interview after job interview, and you are feeling frustrated, could it be you’re desperate? And further, is it showing?

You have to stop sending out the signals that you are desperate. You want people to see a confident, assured and calm person, instead of a harried and a quietly desperate one. Instead of giving off the signal, “Please, somebody – give me a job, I need to feel worthwhile,” you want to acknowledge it is a do-it-yourself job.

Here are five helpful tips:

WORRY NEVER HELPS

In 1871 a young medical student picked up a book and read twenty-one words that changed his life. They led him to live a life free from anxiety and worry.

His name was  Sir William Osler and the words were: “Our main business is not to see what lies dimly at a distance, but to do what lies clearly at hand.”

Concentrate on job-seeking things you can do today, not the multitude of things of concern for tomorrow. Dr Osler also said, “Nervous worries dog the steps of a man who is anxious about the future. Shut then, the great fore and aft bulkheads, and prepare to cultivate the habit of a life of ‘day tight compartments.’”

Cast worry out of your mind like you would poison near your food. It is that dangerous.

DON’T BEAT UP ON YOURSELF

Don’t put pressure on yourself, especially as you see your colleagues with whom you went to school all have jobs. You have your journey and they have theirs, so don’t compare. This happened with me twice.

When I just left college I had to wait for eight desperate months of struggle before landing the job I was targeting. I had to learn that I couldn’t compare myself and worry about how people with lesser abilities were way ahead of me.  It simply did not matter. I should be having good thoughts about them.

DON’T GIVE UP

You would be surprised how many people picked up their ideal job just when they wanted to quit. It is cliche but true, that a winner never quits and a quitter never wins. It is understandable if you feel frustrated at times, but quitting is never an option.

Watch biographies, read stories of people like you, going through what you are going through.  

ASK A QUESTION

Say you’re in the interview room, and a sudden feeling comes over you, like you are going to blow it. Relax, and ask a question, based on something they just said. For one thing it takes the attention off yourself.

Remind yourself that interviewers welcome your questions. It will teach you more and convey a smart mind, eager to learn.

RESEARCH THE IDEAL EMPLOYEE

Rather than waiting on an employer to contact you, choose one who is ideal, and research it instead and take the initiative.

Contact the head of the company, and show that you are aware of the challenges, and you are prepared to solve them. This will put you in a class by yourself, and even if not an offer you will be top of mind should the opportunity arise.