Why I Started #FindingYourCareer.org
I have been coaching, counseling and mentoring students, professionals and executives for the better part of 20 years – it amazes me each time I meet with a client struggling in his/her career, how frustrating and hard the process can be. I kept asking myself why? It was definitely not due to lack of effort, experience or passion but rather, the process job seekers go through to find a job. Believe it or not, we create this scenario ourselves!
Let me explain using the Doom Loop scenario – I also call this my ‘Sunday Night’ slide (more on this later). How many times do you find yourself sitting on the couch with your loved one watching TV on a Sunday night and suddenly it hits you – tomorrow is Monday! The overwhelming feeling of sadness, frustration, angst and, well, you can fill in the feeling you get – we all have it from time-to-time, some more than others. What is driving this? And how do we break ourselves of this ‘doom loop’?
A big part of what is driving this process is the way in which most job seekers approach the job market. When we take on a new role the first six months are the ‘honeymoon’ period – the work seems interesting, the people are nice and professional, and you’re feeling confident that you made right decision. After this period, reality sets in – your boss starts to show his/her true behavior, which in some cases is not always pleasant or professional. People you have made a connection with in the organization either move on to another role or leave the firm altogether. You suddenly start to feel very exposed – and you begin to ask yourself if the move you made was the right one. As this process continues over the weeks and months, you begin to realize that you are no longer happy or fulfilled. You reach a point where you justify the job through your salary (the money is good so I’ll stick out for a few more months – it can only get better, right?). You keep repeating this until you reach that final point where it becomes unbearable and you need to make a move again.
What happens during this process? You start to log on to job boards looking for that next gig – you go through hundreds of postings and start the application process all over again. As you review job descriptions you start to convince yourself of your “fit” – that voice inside of your head says, ‘this looks interesting’, or ‘I have the experience’, or ‘I think I would be a good fit for this role’. What do you do? You spend countless hours sending cover letter and resumes and with any luck, you may end up snagging an interview. You feel ‘good’ about your efforts because you sent all those cover letter and resumes – I’m being productive!...you say to yourself…or, I’m doing the right thing!
If you are fortunate enough to secure a new position through this process the ‘Doom Loop’ scenario resets and starts all over again for you. Let me illustrate this point with the following graphic:
Now what? With each passing job, your satisfaction level continues to peak but with each new job, that peak gets lower and lower until you reach a point where you just give up and stay in your job until you retire, during which you continue to convince yourself that you’re happy and satisfied but you know deep down inside you are not and the Doom Loop becomes your reality. Your Sunday night continues to be a depressing process for you and you feel stuck with no way out.
How do we break this cycle you ask? By adopting a Proactive Job Search Strategy. What is a Proactive Job Search Strategy? In a nutshell, it’s about creating your future vs. reacting to your situation – being proactive in your job search and managing the process so the process does not manage you. My goal in life is to get you to stop reacting to jobs on a job board and start managing your career in a proactive and positive manner, so you can enjoy your Sundays with your family and not be overcome with feelings of frustration and depression at the thought of the coming work week ('I have to go to work tomorrow! Ugh!').
Please join me here next week to learn about adopting a Proactive Job Search Strategy. See you then!
Remember – it’s not about getting a job, it’s about #FindingYourCareer
