Giving Your Job Search a Reset
You’ve been job searching for months, maybe even years.
There have probably been a lot of starts and stops, due to various life events and needing lots of breaks from the exhausting emotional roller coaster of job searching.
You’re having trouble building momentum and you just want the process to be over already!
You’re feeling tired and frustrated. You’re wondering what to do differently. You’re questioning your ability to view the situation clearly.
How have my clients handled it when they found themselves in this type of situation? A few of them share their career journeys to help you gain insight into how to use your energy to drive results so you can get out of the vicious cycle.
Steps to take to reset your job search
Step 1: Recognize it’s time for a shift in approach
You’ve tried a variety of things to land a job, but your efforts just aren’t yielding your desired results. Maybe you’re not finding roles to apply to in the first place or you are but then you’re not landing interviews or offers.
When you decide you’ve had enough and it’s time to try a different approach, working with a career professional can help you turn things around by learning best practices and having the support to consistently apply them over time.
Step 2: Clarify your transferable skills
One of the most important things to be clear on during a job search is what you have to offer. Go beyond the skills you have — focus on the skills you enjoy using.
Working with a certified coach to gain access to self-assessments such as SkillScan can help affirm your skills and give you the language to talk about them.
Just because a particular type of work might be part of your current or former job, doesn’t mean you must keep doing that type of work in your next role or for the rest of your career.
Consider what kinds of changes could help you have a career you feel great about. Give yourself permission to imagine!
Step 3: Identify roles of interest & showcase your relevant accomplishments
Once you’ve clarified what you’re good at and enjoy doing, it’s going to be crucial to look at lots of job postings so you can understand what employers are seeking and how that aligns with what you’ve got to offer.
Then you’ll need to learn to adapt your job search portfolio to be highly relevant for your target roles. This involves showcasing relevant accomplishments and skills, which can be aided by tapping into your SkillScan report and supplemental materials.
Do you struggle to effectively communicate what you have to offer prospective employers or clients? It can be uncomfortable to talk up one’s accomplishments, but whether you’re a job candidate or a self-employed entrepreneur seeking clients, it’s essential to connect with your audience in a relevant way so they can understand the value you can create for them. It can be extremely helpful to work with a professional resume writer who has experience transforming thousands of resumes to help focus attention on your most relevant, impressive accomplishments.
You may identify that there are some gaps in your experience. While you don’t need to meet anywhere near 100% of the “requirements” in a job posting in order to potentially still be a strong candidate, you may decide to invest in building your competencies, knowledge, and/or credentials in certain core areas.
In Jill S.’s case, she decided to pursue a graduate degree to open doors to new career possibilities. For her, learning tools and practices enabled her to develop a growth mindset and build her clarity and confidence, so she could move forward to create a resilient, successful career.
Step 4: Explore alternative options when the job postings don’t speak to you
As you’re reading job postings and finding out about opportunities through your network, it’s valuable to self-reflect and get clear on what’s important to you.
If role after role doesn’t seem like a good fit for you, maybe it’s not a job you’re looking for. Perhaps, like Jill R., you’re interested in something beyond a traditional 9-to-5 job. Instead, maybe you’re interested in exploring self-employment or a portfolio career — one that’s made up of various income streams.
For Jill R., it’s important to derive a sense of meaning from her work. When she was feeling stuck and unsure of how to move forward, working with a career professional gave her the necessary structure, guidance, resources, and accountability to make headway.
Step 5: Prepare to find a good organizational culture fit
Finding an organization that has a company culture that’s aligned with your values, interests, and goals is key to:
securing an offer,
feeling great about accepting an offer, and
leading a fulfilling career.
During the job search process, don’t only limit your inquiry to questions like “Can I do this job?” but instead expand to questions like “What evidence do I have that I can thrive in this role within this team/organization/industry/space?”
Determine what research you need to do and what questions you need to pose in order to get a good sense of whether an opportunity is a good fit for you at this moment in your life. What support might you need so you can thrive?
For instance, if you’re a parent and having the flexibility to be there for your children is a high priority for you, you’ll want to focus on that when it comes to factors like schedule, work location, travel, and whether the work arrangement is in person, remote, or hybrid. Or, maybe you’re seeking to travel extensively or be location-independent; that’s going to be something you want to explore during the hiring process.
Note: You may wish to hold off on some aspects of these topics until you are already a finalist or have landed an offer because that’s when you have more leverage.
Step 6: Believe that you can be successful
From the start, you may not believe in your ability to create a fulfilling career. That’s common.
But as you benefit from the necessary support and guidance, and develop a useful mindset and practices, your belief in yourself grows. You feel more hopeful and take the necessary steps to bring positive changes into your life. The self-doubt starts to melt away as you move beyond comfort and fear, to a place of learning and growth.
Recap
You’ve taken the following steps:
Step 1: Recognize it’s time for a shift in approach
Step 2: Clarify your transferable skills
Step 3: Identify roles of interest & showcase your relevant accomplishments
Step 4: Explore alternative options when the job postings don’t speak to you
Step 5: Prepare to find a good organizational culture fit
Step 6: Believe that you can be successful
Congratulations!
You have received the support and done the work to enable the transformation from a vicious cycle to a virtuous cycle. Even when life is tough, you can feel good knowing that you invested in gaining the tools and resources that will help you keep going and thriving.
More resources to help you reset your job search
I’ve created a Job Search Reset Guide which provides additional suggestions on how to give your job search the reboot you need.
One-on-one career support
If it feels like it’s a good time to reach out for support, learn more about how coaching can be part of your solution.
