Can You Accept the Challenge?

Getting to where you need to be

If you’re like most people you cherish much more those things for which you’ve labored and for which you’ve had to struggle. It’s human nature. Conversely, you don’t hold in high regard those things that were just handed to you. Those things just don’t carry the same weight.

So why should your job search be any different?

Time to push yourself

When you’re out of work you tend to have an excess time on your hands. And it’s very easy to put things off, to follow the path of least resistance. It’s those times when it’s easier to do some pressing domestic chore (i.e. laundry, lawn mowing, etc.) than to tackle that job search “to do.”

It’s real easy to put off that networking event. There will be another similar event next week. Getting dressed up and driving to that venue where you may not know anyone is an easy excuse to rationalize not going.

But deep down you know you should make that extra call, send that extra letter or email, or get ready and drive to that event. You may not want to, but you know you need to. And this is the really hard part.

It’s that time when you need to push yourself; to challenge yourself to go that extra mile. Athletes know this. One more time around the weight room. One more lap around the track. When it’s time to push yourself, those are the things that make the great players great. That’s what you need to do to be the best job candidate you can be.

Another slice from the same pie includes questioning yourself. Am I doing everything right? What more can I be doing? How can I improve my interviewing skills? And as important as the questions are, it’s just as important for you to be brutally honest with yourself in your answers. You’ll be the winner in the end.

We recognize that not everyone’s perfect. Not everyone has the drive or the initiative to charge ahead 24/7. That’s why it’s helpful to have a job-search buddy. Someone who can motivate you and someone who you can motivate. You hold yourselves accountable – to each other.

Challenging yourself might just be the missing ingredient in you landing that next position.

More tips.