Contemplating one’s own navel

As my search stretched on it was hard not to take the rejections to network or missed job opportunities on a personal level.

While logically I knew that people are busy or I was not the best fit for role applied to, I found myself more focused on the minor details of my search and replaying the missed opportunities – and spending a considerable amount of time doing so.

You can see where this is going down a path of wasting valuable time. This is bad enough; however, the real issue for your search is closing you off from others.

I don’t mean staying at home, as I continued to network, but my focus was so entirely on myself that my networking meetings had little value. You concentrate too hard on what to say next so you don’t screw up – so when the other person is talking, you are not really listening. I don’t even want to imagine how I came across to the person who agreed to network with me. (Perhaps, I could claim temporary insanity as a plea).

To get out of this rut, I did two things.

First, I invoked the “one-time” rule: I would write down those items that went well and not so well for a meeting, interview, etc. The act of writing helped finalize an event and over time these notes were pretty valuable to help prepare for meeting that were similar (questions I should have asked, incorrect assumptions etc.)

Second, I really worked the ‘80% rule’ - 80% of your networking is focused on the other person. It took only one meeting to see how much more I got out of the meeting. (If you would like help in practicing the 80% rule – please visit “Candidates Tools” on www.candidateschair.com or click here to go straight on to the tool http://tinyurl.com/mtlcwb)

Remember, it’s easy to focus on one’s navel given the personal nature of search – so don’t feel bad if you catch yourself doing so from time to time. Just try not to stay there too long.

Good luck today!

Mark Richards
www.candidateschair.com
Job Search from a Candidate's Perspective - Advice and tools for search organization and networking


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