GET YOUR JOB SEARCH RUNNING...

GET YOUR MOTOR RUNNING

HEAD OUT ON THE HIGHWAY

LOOKING FOR ADVENTURE

AND WHAT EVER COMES OUR WAY

These are lyrics to Born to Be Wild by Steppenwolf a song back in the late '60s.  The song goes on to say:

YEAH I GOT TO GO MAKE IT HAPPEN. 

For many the job search race has begun.  They came out of 2010 and are;

FIRING ALL THIER RESUMES AT ONCE (my adaptation from the song)

You have heard it said that life is a Marathon run like a Sprint.  I have never run a marathon but I have friends who have and I once trained for one.  You would be interested to know that when you train for a marathon you never run the complete 26 miles and 385 yards until race day.  However, you need to run a total of at least 40 miles a week for three or four months leading up to the race.  If you don't train that way you will never finish.  So, a marathon is really a series of small to medium-sized races.  By the way, the final 385 yards are important.  To know why, check out the 1908 Olympic Marathon considered "the greatest race of the century."

Running a marathon is a good metaphor for career search.  You need to target a time for when you want to land a job.  However, the pace is different for every runner.  You need to set a pace that is right for you and try to maintain it for the duration of your job search, but that does not mean you run at the same speed all the time.

In job search, you need to be able to pick up the pace and/or slow the pace while maintaining a consistent pace.  You also need to avoid hitting The Wall.  That is when you are discouraged because it is not happening fast enough and self-doubt begins to creep in.  It happens to the elite and non-elite runners. 

The good news is it does not happen to everyone.  At least 40% of non-elite runners have never experienced "hitting the wall."  So how can I avoid hitting the wall in job search?

1.      You get your resume in shape.

2.      You pace yourself and network regularly 

3.      You go with the flow of searching and applying for jobs 

4.      You focus on getting interviews. 

5.      You keep the right mental strategy to land that job. 

As much as 90 percent of success in sports is attributed to mental discipline.  It is more than not giving up.  It is thinking about things related to your job search.  Most of us, try and get our mind off things when we really need to stay focused on the task. 

The song BORN TO BE WILD depicts the '60s, a time marked by an extreme lack of restraint and control.  That is what it means to be WILD.  What does this have to do with career search?  You can't be WILD in your job search and expect to land a position.  You need self-imposed restraint and control.  It is not enough to get your motor running and head out looking for a job.  You need a job search strategy.