It saddens me when people are stuck. Sometimes they are so stuck they can’t see a way out.
I have the privilege to interact with and provide career search assistance to, sometimes, hundreds of people a week. This allows me to help people create amazing results, and, it also allows me to witness some truly sad situations where talented individuals have lost thousands of dollars, their homes, their friends and great career opportunities — just by failing to see their blind spots.
Below is a list of the two most common blind spots I see. If either of these sound familiar, stop and address them now, before you miss out on key opportunities and the job you’ve been waiting for!
Are either of the following showing up in your life?
1) You won’t take action on what you know.
If you are saying “I already know that” — STOP. If you know following up after an interview, a referral or a phone screening is what you need to do — JUST DO IT! If you know writing a thank you letter after an interview is the right thing to do — DO IT!
There is a difference between knowing and doing. If you know what to do, take the action. Knowledge is great. Yet, knowledge without action will not garner results.
Action Tip #1:
Stop saying “I know that” and JUST DO IT.
2) You’ve made it hard for people to help you.
If you asked for help, it is time to stop taking and listen.
Stop telling people all about your drama and how much you know. Everyone has drama – their drama is just different than yours.
Instead, if you just want someone to listen to you, ask, “Will you listen to me for a few minutes?” You’ll be surprised at how many people will say okay and give you their time so you can whine, cry or just share your drama. You’ll feel better and be ready to move on.
Option 2: You can go to the park and talk, whine or cry to the birds or the squirrels. Both are good listeners and they rarely talk back!
If you ask for help and someone’s time, be kind and respectful enough to listen to what they say. Believe it or not most people get it, and the odds are they too have been without a job at one time or another.
Next, ask for something specific, don’t beat around the bush. State what you need and ask if they have an idea as to how to solve the problem. Listen and take notes. When someone is generous with their time, ideas or network contacts — listen. Don’t judge the reply, evaluate it or offer a reason why the suggestion will not work.
Action Tip #2:
Listen and write.
If someone offers an idea you’ve already tried and it didn’t work for you – you might say “I did x, y and z. How do you recommend I modify x, y and z to get better results?”
Working on these two things will go a long way to Accelerating Your Search!
Interested in more tips to Accelerate Your Search? Give me call.
Or look to the right and sign up for next Q & A call, join the session and ask your question.
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