Mindy Thomas

CAREER CHAT
If You Empower Yourself, No One Can Unplug You

If You Empower Yourself, No One Can Unplug You

With the earthquake and hurricane masking our job searches for the last two weeks, some of us are back to the task at hand. Searching for a full-time position with benefits and advancement potential is wearing on the whole world. Here are some reminders as we move through this holiday weekend.

Your attitude is everything. The beginning, the middle and the end is all about attitude. We can look at being dealt a “bad hand” or an awful event as opportunities to move forward or use them to keep us behind the “eight ball.” In this job market, there is only one choice. And, that is to keep moving the ball down the court.

Understand that you are not alone in your isolation or frustration. But, if you let the “ball and chain” hang you up in this job search, you will not succeed. Zig Ziglar called it the PLOM disease (poor little ole me). Instead, empower yourself, so no one can unplug you. Use your new attitude to lift you and maybe consider asking the universe to help move this situation along by generating opportunities for you. Like any Olympic champion, visualize your goal and see yourself already there. Ask and you shall receive.

Understand that it takes time. Job searches take an enormous amount of time. Back in the day, it took 6-8 weeks to land a position. Today it may take as long as a year and a half. But, that doesn’t mean you get off the horse because it’s taking longer. Your goal is to land with a solid company and that means a long term gig. Due diligence is more critical than ever. Research the next move as if you were buying a brand new cell phone, television or kitchen appliance. There is nothing worse than thinking the grass is greener on the other side and it turns out to be way worse than where you are. You know what I am talking about.

The Story. Everyone has a story in the naked city. But, you don’t have to go into the details of what happened as a result of the layoff, or the inept supervisor you had or even the co-workers you couldn’t stand to be around. Does it really matter in the scheme of things? Close that chapter up and begin a new one. You are the hero of your own story, so write that next chapter just the way you want. Leave out the toxic details. They only bring you down.

Everything you need to get going is right inside you. So, step it up and keep working at it. Keep that power source plugged into you. No matter what. Just keep it going. If you work on empowering yourself, frankly, I pity the power source when you come on-line. There is nothing like seeing that in living technicolor.

Next week, we’ll talk about that recent college grad who is now fielding offers as a result of boosting her interview IQ.

Your Career is Your Business. Isn’t it Time For You to Manage it Like a CEO?

Please call Professional Career Counselor Mindy Thomas, MS, CPRW, CLC, CJC, CJDC directly at 610.937.5632 or send us a message. Our offices are located in suburban Philadelphia at 221 North Olive Street in Media, PA, close to Wilmington DE, NYC and Washington DC.