Action Cures Fear

Are you afraid of not getting an interview? Or maybe you’re afraid of getting the interview? Afraid of getting an offer, or NOT getting an offer? You need a job, and the market is pretty tough right now with stiff competition. You’re afraid of not getting a job, but you’re also afraid of getting started.

There’s one thing that I know, and that is that action cures fear! If you can just push yourself to take the first couple of steps, it will get easier. You will gain confidence. You will get better. This in turn will help motivate you. And I’m willing to bet you might actually start to enjoy it.

When I first started my search my friend told me, “I bet you’ll really start to enjoy meeting new people and conducting your job search. I know I did.” I remember thinking, no way. Well, I was wrong. In a matter of days, a week on the outside, I really did start to enjoy it. I enjoyed it once I took the focus off of me. I started my networking with the intention of helping people where I could. I was doing a lot of research and taking classes to help me with my job search and I started sharing my learning. I was showing people what I was doing.

So what can you do? Start with small steps:

1. Update your resume. This will get you in the mode of thinking about the specific job you’re seeking. Try to have at least three power stories on your resume, meaning three strong results that you delivered that are quantifiable. If you don’t have any then move forward with what you have. You will continue to improve your resume as you search so don’t wait until it’s perfect. If you do, you’ll never make progress. I’m always fine tuning my resume and I plan to continue to do so.
2. Find target companies. You can do this using a source like Reference USA at the library, or just look for companies on Linkedin using the search feature with the job title you’re seeking. Use Indeed, which is a search aggregator, to search on key words or your job search criteria and see who is hiring. You can even just Google your industry and location. Put together a list of at least 20-30 target companies to get you started practicing. Once you get started you will get motivated for find more companies that you are passionate about and you can build out your list to 100 companies.
3. Make contact. Get on Linkedin to search contacts at your target companies or even past employees at your target companies. Reach out and ask for a 20 minute phone call to talk to them about the company. Once you get more comfortable and begin collecting information about industry and company challenges, you will want to find the hiring manager for the role you’re seeking. Call them with your 30 second commercial and say, “I’d like to talk to you about working for your company.” Then just be quiet. Your goal is to get a live meeting with them to talk about how you can help them. The worst that could happen is they say no, that’s why you want 100 companies on your list. You will get good at this with practice and some will say yes!
4. Network. Start with your friends and ex-coworkers. Ask them if you can practice with them. Practice your 30 second commercial. Talk about your target companies and your job objective. Ask for advice. People want to help. Don’t you feel enriched when you are able to help someone else? Ask them how you can help them. Once you get more comfortable, start networking in bigger groups and online.
5. Focus on more than just your job search. Make sure you have balance in your life. Just because you’re not employed doesn’t mean you can’t have some fun too. This process could take some time so make sure you’re enjoying the time too. Spend some time on things you are passionate about. You will want some good stories to tell potential employers when they ask how you’re spending your time. Whether you’re doing work for a non-profit or learning a new language, take advantage of your time off. Just don’t take your eye off the goal: continue focusing on your job search for 40 hours per week. It’s a full time job to conduct a job search.

If you can force yourself to take the first steps, you WILL get more confidence and more motivation. It’s just the way it works.

How can I help you?

Author:

Julie Abraham – Jules’ Gems… marketing tips from a proven leader passionate about helping others

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