Is that really true?

I just got off the phone with a family member who is dear to me. I had called her in response to a text that said “I’m just so exhausted… not finding anything.”

Here is one of the smartest and most capable people I know trying to reenter the job market after being at home with children for many years. As we talked, I could see that she is facing all kinds of obstacles – some are real, but sadly, most were imagined.

For example:
·       She is NOT too old
·       She is NOT unskilled
·       She has NOT tried everything
·       There ARE openings in her field

What is true is that like many people, she simply doesn’t know how to initiate an effective job search. Instead, she’s been trying what worked 20 years ago, and has become discouraged and self-critical because it’s not yielding results.

The job hunting process is fraught with doubts, fears, and imagined shortcomings – even for the most confident and qualified among us.

If you’re having your own doubts about a job change, ask yourself: Is that really true? Then ask somebody you trust just to be sure.

What is most likely true is that you are not fully exploring a multi-pronged approach to your search. That means doing many things simultaneously – including applying, networking, informational interviewing, tweaking your resume, targeting employers and working on your interview.

You don’t know and can’t know which combination of these activities will get you in front of a hiring manager and result in an offer. If you’ve got questions about where to begin, or how to juggle these, I would love to help!

Cheers to your career!