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Monday, July 19, 2010
Play Ball - And Focus
Focus is important in baseball. Consider the relief pitcher. He doesn't care about the score. He focuses on pitching his one inning. Getting three outs is his concern.
Focus is also essential in job hunting. It always has been, of course, but in tough economic times it is more important than ever. Those who have lost jobs face an average of more than 34 weeks of unemployment before they land a new position, according to BLS statistics through May 2010. Competition for jobs is fierce. There are more than 5 unemployed persons per job opening, according to the Labor Department. You could burn out before you start.
Focus can make job hunting less discouraging. Like a relief pitcher, a jobseeker must summon confidence, skill and concentration on short notice, and get down to business.
Set a reasonable goal
"Rabbit run" jobseeker dash off in several directions at once. They write "anything" as an objective on their résumé. No wonder they suffer job search fatigue. A jobseeker must remain flexible about setting a goal during these times. Have several alternatives and resist the urge to insist on a "dream job." To achieve your reasonable goals ask these essential questions:
• What do I want to do?
• What are my strengths or skills?
• Am I open to alternate methods of using my talents?
Get rid of baggage
Shed any baggage that holds you back.
Getting laid off, fired or quitting is a traumatic experience. Separation anxiety slows the job search for those who have been unable to resolve their loss of a job. It can be a bombshell in a job interview when the inevitable question arrives: Why did you leave your last job?
Join a support group or vent to a friend. Resolve separation anxiety early in your job search.
There's plenty of anxiety that arises from the fear of rejection. Dear John letters and hearing nothing from an application sucks the energy out of jobseekers. Reality is the remedy for rejection anxiety. A lot of people are out of work. Jobseekers should expect rejection and move on from it.
Get to work
Jobseeking is a job. The search for a 40-hour job requires 40 hours a week of job searching. Set a quota for how many websites, networking contacts or calls and personal visits you make per day. Remember the relief pitcher. Your job is to make the contacts.
Bob Lankard, a business columnist for the Indiana Gazette and former program manager at the state Job Center in Indiana, Pa., offers common-sense advice and innovative tactics to help all levels of job seekers satisfy their employment ambitions.
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