The Job Search Plateau

I’m doing Body for Life, again. Basically, it’s a program that combines eating (6 small meals a day, with high protein, low fat, and healthy carbs) with specific workouts. It is the best program that I’ve ever tried, and I hope to do it for a few more twelve-week cycles.

Yesterday, I was taking a personal inventory and I felt like I was plateauing. I was eating well (for five or six days, lol), and I have been working out diligently, and honoring the rest that my muscles need to rebuild. I’ve seen progress here and there, but yesterday I felt like I was doing the stuff, but not making the progress.

I’ve been here before, mentally.  Back in high school I remember getting to a point where, no matter what I did, I didn’t move up to the next level in the gym. I was plateauing then, and I didn’t know what to do about it. I just suffered through it for a few months without great mentoring, and it sucked.

When I plateau now I’m inclined to add a cheat meal. It (my diligence, the system, the process) isn’t making a difference, anyway, so why not have a burger or three.

That’s my little Shoulder Devil talking. I know what’s really happening.  Somewhere, somehow, what I’m doing is good, and there is something happening in my body, even though I can’t see it. But I’ve done Body for Life a few times and when I push through what feels like a plateau, I get to a point where I see results again, and then other people see results (!!). In other words, even though it didn’t seem like anything was happening, something big was happening. I just needed to stay disciplined, keep with the system, and keep doing the RIGHT things. No matter how much gabbing that dumb Shoulder Devil does.

As I was contemplating all of this yesterday it made me think about how this applies to the job search.  I know that I mostly felt like I wasn’t making progress in the job search… I was on a plateau. No matter what I did, no matter how many things I did “right,” I just wasn’t making progress.

Unfortunately, I was doing more things wrong than right, I just didn’t realize it.

But here’s what I know, because I’ve seen it many times over the last eleven years with my JibberJobber users: Doing more of the right things, and less of the wrong things, consistently, over time, gets you closer to landing the job.

Even if you feel like you are plateauing, and many job seekers do, keep doing the right things, day after day, consistently. Get advice from people in-the-know who can help make sure you aren’t doing the wrong things.  Keep doing the right things, and you’ll work through the plateaus.  I know I will.