What The Job Search Really Looks Like

I saw this image on a LinkedIn Group I’m on.  Thanks to Valinda Lee for linking to it:

This is just like the job search, isn’t it?

When I started my job search I thought it would be like the arrow on the left.

Then all kinds of things happened and it became like the squiggly on the right.

If you think you don’t need to have a resume professionally written (more on that next week), or you don’t need to have more than your spreadsheet or a notepad to organize your job search (see JibberJobber!!), or you won’t need more than a month to land that job, you are still thinking on the left.

Think about, and plan for, the image on the right!

Don’t let that discourage you, either.  It’s okay to go through the image on the right.  This just means you need to be flexible, plan for changes, and keep your eyes open for opportunities.  Be aggressive and do this thing (the job search) ON PURPOSE!

If you think about the people who have been successful, it’s easy to look backwards and see all of the indicators they were on the right path (which will look more like that arrow), but if you ask them, they’ll remember all of the unexpected turns they took, which looks more like the image on the right!

I know you think you are the exception.  I thought I was too.  And look where my arrow has led me!