Moving Your Career Forward in a World Where Everything Feels Stalled

Yesterday, I received an email from a coaching client telling me that she received three job offers last week. She was elated!

Another client reached out to me to tell me she landed an awesome job, with a significant bump in pay and a great job title.

You may be thinking, “What do they have that I don’t have?” 

Here’s the thing. Neither of these people saw this coming when they started their search in late 2020. Yet, they kept the faith.

Things looked very bleak back in December. Companies were still shedding employees, and it looked like we’d be seeing more of the same come 2021.

Both people were working on the plans we created and feeling like they weren’t making much progress.

We had a lot of tough love sort of conversations. Yet, they persevered.

Here’s where their story may differ from yours.

Both clients continued to move their search forward in spite of feeling like they were merely treading water.

And then it happened.

In January, the floodgates opened. People in their network were calling them back. Those resumes they thought they were dumping into the abyss (also known as the applicant tracking system) seemed to have somehow surfaced. They were scoring interviews left and right.

An outsider would see this as luck, but I know better. We’ve had countless conversations around how to move forward when it feels like the rest of the world is on pause and the importance of being consistent, especially when you feel like you want to throw in the towel.

Here’s some advice for those of you who may be feeling stuck.

Keep your foot on the accelerator. Go after what you want, and don’t stop until you get it.

Identify the top 20 companies you’d like to work for and network your way in. Check their websites weekly to see if an opportunity comes up that’s right for you.

Surround yourself with positive people. Years ago, when I was laid off in one of our country’s worst recessions, I found myself wallowing in self-pity. I had no problems staying in this place because the people I surrounded myself with told me that I deserved to be disappointed and angry. I soon realized that their advice was doing more harm than good.

I left these people behind and started my own job search group. I handpicked the people that I wanted around me. We met weekly and shared job leads. We also shared words of encouragement that kept us afloat during some very dark times. We were fortunate to have someone in our group who was a black belt in the art of job search. Eventually, our group disbanded, as one by one, we secured employment. However, our friendship is still intact.

Get rid of the naysayers in your life and find a group (or start your own) of people who are on the positive road to a new beginning.

Get some professional advice. If you’ve been doing the same thing over and over, and it’s not working, then consider the possibility that you need a new plan.

If money is in short supply, consider reaching out to your college alumni association to see what resources are available for alum. If you’d prefer a more customized approach, ask people in your network, who they might recommend, to assist you in your endeavor to find a job search coach.

As the vaccine continues to roll out across the country, I predict we’ll see a surge in the number of open positions. The time to ready yourself for this next wave is NOW.

I'm excited about the future. How about you?

Interested in learning more about coaching? Schedule a call with me.