I've been thinking a lot about gratitude. I am a firm believer in the concept, "you get what you give" and have seen it play out in my life (and the lives of others) on a regular basis. Related:7 Tips For Becoming A Leader At Work In everything we do and say in our lives, we are emitting energetic vibrations and those frequencies that we emit come back to us in the same fashion. (Some refer to it as karma). Therefore, being kind and loving will bring that back to you, as will being angry and frustrated. The more angry and frustrated you are, the more you experience things around you that are frustrating and make you angry. The more kind and loving you are, the more you get back experiences that include kindness and love. If you think about it, I'm sure you’ll recognize how this concept plays out in your life. And, that's why this practice of gratitude is so important. The more you appreciate what you have in your life, the more you receive and experience things that you can appreciate. Why? Because typically you attract into your life that which you focus upon. It's amazing (but not surprising) that during the recent presidential election two different individuals had completely different reports about the presidential debates. One interpreted things President Obama said as very condescending and inaccurate, whereas the other interpreted what he said as applicable and respectful. Both watched the debate and saw completely different things because they were focused on different things. One focused on what Obama was doing wrong and one focused on what he was doing right, and that's exactly what they experienced. That’s why expressing gratitude and appreciation is so important. Each day, despite how awful the day might have been, I find and write down (in my gratitude journal) at least five things for which I am grateful. Sometimes I am simply grateful that the day is over and for the unconditional love of my animals, but regardless, I list five. The more things I list, the more I find to be grateful for because that's what I am focusing my energy and attention upon. I use this concept in my coaching practice with my clients. I find that many of my clients in high level leadership roles and high pressure positions deal with a lot of negativity, and are often focused on what's wrong in their environment and the problems that need to be solved. While this is clearly a part of their job, it's also important for them to focus upon what's right and what there is to appreciate. When I suggest focusing upon what's right and ask them what they are grateful for in their position, I'm sometimes met with a bit of resistance; however, when they take a step back and pause for a minute, it becomes quite easy for them to articulate what they appreciate about their leadership positions. Does this eliminate the problems they have to solve? No, but it does allow them to approach the problems from a more positive perspective which then makes the problems easier to solve. They also notice that when they focus upon what they are grateful for with their teams, they begin to elicit more of those behaviors from the team. Focusing upon the positives and appreciating those characteristics draws more of that behavior into their environment. Yes, THAT is exactly why I keep a gratitude journal. The more I focus on appreciation, the more I receive things to appreciate. The same holds true for all of us. Even if you are in a job situation or on a career path where you want to make changes or are unhappy, try to find five things about your current situation for which you are grateful. Even if it’s that you are grateful that you know you want to find another job or a new career path; be thankful for that! Keep a gratitude journal for the next 60 days and each day write down five things to appreciate. I guarantee that by day 60, you will have many more things showing up in your life for you to keep appreciating! This month’s development tip: Start a gratitude journal specifically related to your career or leadership role. Every day write down at least three things you are grateful for related to your career or your role as a leader.
Is your job search turning into a grind with no end in sight? It may be time to take a step back and reevaluate your entire approach.
In cold weather climates, the beginning of spring is a time to clean the house and get organized—a practice known as spring cleaning. Through the years, spring cleaning has taken on a larger meaning with people using the time to organize and declutter things in their lives.
For professionals on the job hunt, a little spring cleaning (metaphorically speaking) could be a great way to reinvigorate your job search. Here are a few strategies your job search spring cleaning should include.
Reevaluate Your Job Search Approach
BigstockMake a list of the last handful of jobs you applied for and see if you can identify any positive or negative trends. Consider things like:
- How did I learn about this job?
- How did I apply for the job?
- Did I earn an interview?
- What was the ultimate result?
A lot can be learned about your job search approach just by answering these questions and identifying patterns. For example:
Negative Trends
You discovered five jobs through job boards, applied to all of them via the job boards, and never heard back from any of them.
The common pattern here is applying through job boards. This isn't to say that job boards don't serve a purpose in the job search process, but they have their limitations, and you can't run your job search entirely off of them. When you apply through a job board, there's a good chance that your materials will never get past the applicant tracking system (ATS) and never be seen by an actual person.
One simple fix is to research who the hiring manager or recruiter is that posted the position and email your materials to them directly.
The more efficient fix would be to take a proactive approach by putting together a bucket list of companies that you want to work for and start making connections on LinkedIn with people who work at those companies. You may already know some people who work there or have connections that can refer you to some individuals.
This is a great way to network your way onto a company's radar.
Positive Trends
You applied to three jobs via referral, were invited to two job interviews, and made it through multiple rounds of interviews for one of the jobs before being passed over for someone with a little more experience.
The pattern here is that getting referred to a job by a professional acquaintance is a great way to land a job interview. This indicates that you're leveraging your network well and you should continue to focus on your networking efforts.
The next step is to review the interview process and determine what went well and what needs to be improved. Sometimes the interviewer will provide feedback, and that feedback can be valuable. However, not everyone is comfortable with giving feedback.
Chances are you probably have a good idea about areas of improvement and the skills you need to gain. Put together a plan for addressing those shortfalls.
The good news in making it deep into any interview process is that it indicates that the company likes you as a potential employee (even if the timing just wasn't right) and the experience could be a roadmap to a job with that company at a later date, or another similar opportunity elsewhere.
Give Your Resume & Cover Letter Some Much-Needed Attention
BigstockAre you continuously sending similar resumes and cover letters to each job opening with only minor adjustments? If so, your strategy needs some serious spring cleaning.
Let's start with resumes!
Every resume should be tailored to the position in order for it to stand out to recruiters and hiring managers. It may seem like a lot of work, but it's actually less work than submitting the same resume over and over again and never hearing back.
The reason why it's so important to tailor your resume is that throughout your career, you acquire numerous skills, but the job you're applying for may only be focusing on 6-8 of those skills. In that case, those skills must rise to the top of the resume with quantifiable examples of how you successfully used those skills at previous jobs.
Remember, recruiters go through hundreds of resumes. They need to be able to tell from a quick glance whether or not you're a potential candidate for the position.
While updating your resume, you could also spruce up your LinkedIn profile by highlighting the skill sets that you want to be noticed for by recruiters.
As for writing a good cover letter, the key to success is writing a disruptive cover letter. When you write a disruptive cover letter, you're basically telling a story. The story should focus on how you connect with the particular company and job position. The story could also focus on your personal journey, and how you got to where you currently are in your career.
If your resumes and cover letters aren't unique, now is the time to clean things up and get on track.
Build Your Personal Brand
Just because you're looking for work doesn't mean that you don't have anything to offer. Use previous career experiences and passions to build your personal brand.
Ask yourself, "How do I want other professionals to view me?"
Pick an area of expertise and start sharing your knowledge and experience with your professional network by pushing out content on your LinkedIn and social media accounts. Good content can include blogs, social media posts, and videos.
By sharing content about your experiences and passions, you slowly build your personal brand, and others will start to notice. The content could lead to good discussions with others in your network. It could also lead to reconnecting with connections that you haven't spoken to in years, or making new connections.
You never know when one of these connections could turn into a job lead or referral. The trick is to get on people's radars. So, when you're cleaning up your job search, be sure to build a plan for personal branding.
Maintain Healthy Habits During Your Job Search
BigstockYour job search is important, but it's even more important to know when to pull back and focus on personal health and spending time with family and friends.
There are actually things that you can do for your own enjoyment that could help your job search in the long run, such as:
- Grab coffee with a friend - It's good to engage in light conversation with friends during challenging times. And if your job search does come up, remember that most people have been through it themselves and you never know when a friend may provide you with a good idea or lead on a job.
- Volunteer - Volunteering is a great way to get involved in the community and help others. In addition, if you develop a little bit of a career gap while looking for a job, you can always talk about how you filled that time volunteering, if you're asked about it during a job interview.
- Continue to focus on other passions - Are you a fitness nut? Blogger? Crafter? Continue to do the things that bring you happiness. And if you're in a position to profit from your passion through a freelance job or side hustle, even better!
Spring is the perfect time to clean up and improve your job search so you can land the job you want. If you're struggling to find a job, follow the tips above to reinvigorate your job search—and watch your career blossom!
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This article was originally published at an earlier date.