For those of you who are hiring or want to hire a firm to find YOU a job ( guaranteed?)   STOP .

I have read too many sad articles reporting on the fate of the unemployed paying out thousands of dollars to firms “promising” to find them jobs.  And, of course, the promise never comes true. For example, Rewriting a resume for you and sending you out to do cold calling is not a  service  of value. We need to refocus on ourselves and reposition. are we getting value??    and you say  YAH, RIGHT!!!!!!    I do not have a magic bullet, no one person does!   Remember that…

So,   what is going on with you?  ( I’ll exclude 4 letter words in this blog. You can add them as you read)

You are out of a job. In this world of ours the resulting pressures are immense and create/drive emotions in ourselves like:

.Pressure to do something –

.Anxiety about money, family, self respect, ego, physical-mental-spiritual health

.Anxiety about achieving our expectations of ourselves, and maybe meeting the perceived expectations  others have of us

.Anger at others, disbelief, sadness, self recrimination,

.Anxiety over the morass of data and information that impales us, adding to our challenge of next step decsions

.Frustration over the coldness of the job search process and the realization that the relationships you have may not be as warm as you thought

Given all of this, and more I am sure, we are all open to anything and sometimes  relent to others suggestions.  In some ways, for a short time, we even feel better that someone else will solve our problem. No matter what it costs.    The weight comes off our shoulders, for a second, minute, day , week. Feels good. But no answer.

We forget, as everyone and everything around us each looses its head,  how strong each of us can be in facing this job search. We are a resilient race, we humans…

So when that phone call offering you nirvana, please , please stop, and don’t give any  answers. Hang up.

Take a deep breadth, and count to ten. (This advice has been around for thousands of years, and still works..)

And start having a dialogue with yourself ( and write down the answers).

At this point the “Yah, RIGHT” people and over-wrought Type As people  stop reading or listening and run off in all directions.

For the rest of you:

You are your job search – No one else can ultimately do the job for you. In the end, when you get a job, it is You who will be sitting at that desk, or talking on that phone or serving  that customer.  Just you.  No one else.

And if at this point you say, I don’t care about this stuff I just want a job. C’mon!!!!!

Remember If you don’t know where you are going, nobody else will.

Remember too, that when you are really frustrated, you are like a fish on a hook. The more you struggle, the deeper the hook penetrates.  Please stop, rethink and regain control. In this case, you can get off that hook!

Some simple starting questions I like to  ask

.Do you have a written detailed and specific plan ( not in your head) for your job search? Do you have a written career plan and a go to market strategy?  Have you created your foundation resume based on you career?

Without these documents you may not be in control of yourself and thus can be at the mercy of others.

I am a believer of human resiliency. I believe each and every one of you can build and execute a plan. I believe that the thousands you may want to spend on someone else, is much better invested in you, ( intellectually, emotionally, spiritually, physically).  Start planning, so you start doing!

more later….