MyJobSearcher.com

We all love to make money and we love to have meaningful careers that help us give and receive a sense of fulfillment. No matter how one may think about the subject of “work” the one fact that is true – we spend the majority of our lives at it. Better make the best of it.

But what do you do if your job seems to be getting the best of you? First step: Find out if it is the job or if it is you!

Let’s take a look for a moment at when it is the job.

• You have verifiable reasons to believe that the company is not doing well. Verifiable reasons would be things such as layoffs followed by more layoffs.
• You have concerns over management – things that management are doing may not be in the best interest of the company. This could be actions such as coming to work late consistently, not portraying to the staff a positive attitude. Slackness in work demands or a lackadaisical attitude toward deadlines and projects. Plentiful heated discussions between management team members showing a strong dissonance amongst the leaders.
• The company has a highly consistent volume in turnover – much higher than is normal for that type of company.
• Benefit programs are getting cut back or eliminated.
• Your paycheck bounced.

Indicators such as these suggest that it is time for you to dust off and brush up your resume and begin searching. Don’t worry about loyalty or how things will turn around etc. Get proactive and get the job hunt going. The company you are with is “having a bad day” and you don’t want to be caught on the unemployment lines wondering what happened.

Now let’s look at if it is you.

• You find it harder and harder to get up in the morning and go to work – often you find you need to will yourself to just get there.
• You find no real joy in the tasks you perform – they bore you and you watch the clock tick with agonizing slowness.
• Your attention is always going to other interests that you have as they are more rewarding than your work.
• You feel like you are working much to hard for the money you make – and it can be verified – it is not just a “feeling”. Raises have been turned down, but the work load has increased.
• Your job is off your original career goals and you feel truly like you are stuck in a rut and can’t get out of it.
• You are there because you haven’t been able to come up with any good reason not to be there.
• Other people in the office are annoying to you, the work is annoying to you, and the office itself is annoying to you.
• You keep wishing you were somewhere else.

Most likely what has happened in this scenario is that you have strayed so far off your original career goals that you just don’t see much satisfaction in your work, and it probably colors the rest of your life as well. Don’t keep yourself there. Get onto the job hunt. Get that resume, review for yourself your own goals and objectives. Get yourself revitalized by pursuing a job that is more in keeping with your original goals!

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You’ve been hunting for a job for three weeks now. You are still miserable over the loss of your old job. You never thought the company would fold. You were set for life. Although you have looked and looked, you simply cannot find a job that would even come close to what you had been making, and you don’t see many jobs out there which hold much interest to you. You’re feeling deflated and frustrated.

Does it show? Are you sitting in the interview chair projecting all of the above? Do you know? Are you aware of how and what you look like to the interviewer?

Sometimes we think we look and sound good, but we are so internalized, we don’t realize that we in fact look, sound, and emanate our frustrations, losses, and confusions over the whole thing.

Here are a few things you can do to help prevent that incorrect and all too deadly fuming frustration phenomena:

• Walk tall and stand straight – your walk and your stance have much to do with your attitude – make sure you are showing confidence and certainty just by this simple tip.
• Sit comfortably, but erect in the interview chair. Don’t look like a prom queen, or a chiropractors dream, just sit up and be alert and aware, while being comfortable.
• Make direct eye contact and comfortable hold it: Yes indeed – eye contact says certainty, confidence, and pride. It also says honesty and sincerity.
• Smile. Don’t over due on the smiles – it is not effusiveness and gushing that we want here. We want those easy smiles at the appropriate times by the confident person who has the world in the palm of their hand.
• Speak happily about your past employment experiences when appropriate to the interview questions. Show that you loved your position and that you were sorry to leave it, but do not mourn for it.
• Look to the future as you answer the interview questions. Where are you headed, where is the company headed? How can you help the company achieve its goals from the position they are offering you.
• Project and portray that you see this company as a whole new beginning for you and for them and that this is an exciting adventure. One you most certainly would like to embark upon.

Make each interview a thrilling adventure. Treat each one like a brand new activity, not one you keep doing over and over and over and over. Assess after each interview what you feel you did well, what you feel you could have done poorly. Practice in the mirror and in your home positive facial expressions and positive body language.

Mostly remember that there is great joy in creating anything. Each interview that you land is an opportunity to create a truly positive experience in your life and mold your future the way that you want!

Just remember that you do not want your frustrations to fume, but you do want your creativity and certainty to captivate and you will do very well.

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In high school, a brazen classmate of mine said to me, “You look mad at all the time”.  I had no idea what he was talking about.  I wasn’t mad. In high school, I was nervous most of the time.  However, he made me consider the attitude I was projecting to people.  My anxiety caused me to avoid eye contact and look constantly sullen.

The following is common sense: employers want a can-do attitude over a no-can-do attitude. I’ve seen people fixated on the idea that they can do nothing right (like they have huge personal deficiencies or curses of bad luck) and wondered if they were aware of their destructive behaviors? It is so simple to see the caricatures people make of themselves when stuck in particular grooves, but often, we don’t notice our own conditioned mannerisms.

What does a can-do attitude involve?  Nothing spectacular or superhuman. It simply involves accepting work and offering an affirmation that it can and will be done.  Be careful about what you convey to your boss on a regular basis as he/she assigns work.

For instance, I once had a supervisor who was not very realistic about his expectations.  I even received confirmation from other employees that he expected things to be done much quicker than humanly possible. My boss, however, did not like to hear me say that something couldn’t be done, and I, a realist, was apt to make these kinds of observations, which seemed very negative from his perspective.  I even became pessimistic, because I felt that no matter how hard I tried I was doomed.

I dealt with my supervisor by telling him only positive things: the work would be done, and I was confident in my abilities.  Eventually, I noticed that he did not mind if I took a bit of extra time to finish work.  He had set the standards high, so that I would keep my standards high.  While I did not necessarily agree with his policies, I did not allow myself to become dark and depressive over them. I became conscious of any negative outlooks, and with this awareness, I concentrated on reversing these thought patterns.

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Getting an interview is difficult enough these days, and is nerve inducing time for anyone, especially those that are just starting out in a field or changing into one. Surviving that first interview can induce some real anxiety into potential job seekers, and for good reason. The first face to face meeting is very important for a job seeker, and you don’t get many chances to impress after that. This is especially true for positions where you will be challenged to answer technical queries or show off a portfolio. Doing well on the first interview is critical, and some anxiety will help to keep you sharp.

Allowing anxiety to take over, however, is not the reaction that you want to have when going for the first interview. Take a deep breath and try to calm down a little. Yes, the interview is worth thinking thoroughly about, but an excess of anxiety is not really going to help matters. Being thoroughly prepared for the interview is the best way to allay your own fears and overcome the accompanying anxiety. If you are well prepared, you will have the confidence of your own knowledge to lessen the fear.

More important than anything, however, is the attitude with which you approach an interview. Although technical knowledge of your field is critical, nothing can trump the importance of the perception that employers have of your personality. If an employer perceives that you may be a little lacking in knowledge, but have a very positive and responsible attitude, they will most likely overlook small gaps in knowledge and training.

On the other hand, if you attempt to oversell yourself by exaggerating claims and making false statements, your potential employer will pick up on this in an instant. This is a very negative perception that is sure to sink your chances quicker than anything else. A perception of dishonesty, even mildly seen, can destroy your chances of landing that new job. Although you want to represent the skills that you have, you should never try to pass yourself off as an expert when you are not. Even if false claims are discovered after you have been hired, the employer can still just as easily withdraw its offer of employment.

Talking about compensation and benefits upfront is another definite “no no”, no matter what field you are considering. If you talk about these points too early, an employer will think that you are presumptuous and perhaps even arrogant. These points will be covered later once an employer has decided that they are interested in hiring you.

It is also important, of course, to approach an interview with confidence. Although arrogance is not an attribute you want to show, confidence in your skills and knowledge should definitely be displayed.

Just as you do not want to misrepresent yourself by exaggerating skills and knowledge, you also do not want to sell yourself short. Be sure employers know all that you are capable of.

Once the interview has concluded, be sure to give your prospective employer a call back after three or four days. This can be a way of letting your potential employee know that you are really interested in the position. Although it is a good idea to stay in touch with an employer, neither should you over do this contact. A single phone call is a good way to remind employers of your interest, but multiple phone calls will annoy potential employers.

Approach every interview with enthusiasm. Research a little about the company you are applying to, so that an employer feels like you really have a strong desire to work there.

What Impression Are You Making?

Image is everything. The image you present has a lot to do with how you are viewed in the eyes of others. Your image is conveyed through a number of mediums. Yes, clothing and grooming are a part of this, however attitude, emotions, professionalism, attention to details, and communications are also integral parts of image.

There are many signals one sends either consciously or unconsciously during the interview process. These are picked up by a good interviewer. These unspoken words, which are in truth a collection of the image you portray, have much more to do with the final decision of who will be hired than you may realize.

Although we are often told how important it is to be professionally groomed for an interview, it is more important to be realistically dressed for your profession.

If you are applying for an entry level position wearing executive-type clothing, you are not appropriately dressed. You may come across as a threat to the interviewer. If you are a construction worker who arrives in a suit – you are not ready to go to work, and that sends a strong message to that foreman. You obviously couldn’t be serious about your trade. You definitely are not seasoned in the trade, only a “newbie” would come thus dressed. You won’t be taken seriously. No matter how good of a tradesman you are, you don’t look the part, probably you won’t act the part. Realistic attire speaks to ones professionalism.

Attitude and emotions are so important. The accomplished interviewee never loses sight of this. Role play for a moment, you become the interviewer: which one of these two people would you tend to want working in your office?

• Cheri – young, educated, willing. A nice smile and a confident walk, not over dressed, not under dressed. Able to communicate correctly (not too much, not too little, none of those uncomfortable pauses, doesn’t cut people off, not too loud, not too quiet). Feels comfortable and allows you to feel comfortable. Doesn’t “suck up” to you, but also doesn’t act like you are superior to her. Strong resume too. Nicely laid out, nice paper, concise.

• Jenny – young, educated, reserved. Doesn’t smile much– if at all. Walks with slumped shoulders and a slow gait. Seems a bit tired. Thoughtfully slow when communicating, attire is not bad — shoes seem a bit odd maybe (does she have a foot problem, perhaps?) doesn’t offer much information on her own, answers questions inadequately. A nice resume, a bit generic maybe, but overall, not too bad . . . and she does seem pleasant . . .

More than likely, you chose Cheri. She had a good look, a proper attitude, good communication skills. She appeared professional and that means her ability to pay attention to details is there on some level, which was also present in her resume.

It can be challenging when one is nervous to present themselves as forthrightly as they should. However, some nervousness is expected by most interviewers. They can see the difference between a person’s general nervousness and the habitual way a person tends to project themselves. Keep in mind as well that most good interviewers are a little concerned if they don’t see some nervousness – even if only slightly displayed. It is only natural that if you are taking the interview seriously.

Thus to make a good first impression. Take some time to be brutally honest with yourself in the mirror. What attitude and emotions are you projecting? Are you realistic with your attire? Have you done your homework and know what to talk about in the interview? Can you comfortably put another at ease with a confident smile or quick response? Practice and hone these skills and you will appear much more like the person that should get the job.