What to do if your job search just isn’t working
A famous Winston Churchill quote advises us to “Never, Never, Never give up.”
There are times when pressing on regardless is the right thing. If you’re in sales, you have to keep making calls. If you’re looking for a job you have to keep looking. But that doesn’t mean you should keep doing things the same way.
Last week the Wall Street Journal ran an article headlined: “Rethinking Their Ambitions.” The idea was that, perhaps, MBA grads came into the marketplace with unrealistic expectations.
The Journal also ran an article headlined: “Raising Kids Who Can Thrive Amid Chaos in Their Careers.” Here’s a quote from the article: “A tidy, linear path to a secure career is increasingly hard to find.”
Reality check. For most of history finding a “tidy, linear path to a secure career” has been impossible. Recent history is the exception, not the rule. What lies in front of you is not likely to be tidy, nor linear, nor lead anywhere secure.
So what should you do? Start by looking at the context of that Churchill quote. Right before he wrote that “Never” part quoted above, Churchill wrote this: “never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense.”
I’ll leave the honor part to you. Let’s talk about good sense.
There’s a definition of insanity as: “doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.” So here’s a suggestion if you don’t want to be thought insane.
Don’t stop trying. Try differently.
Step back for a minute. Assess where you are. Consider your options.
Look for work in a different way. Consider different places and different methods.
Consider taking a first job that isn’t on your hoped-for career path. Lots of us have done that.
Don’t just do this in your head. Ask for advice and input from people you respect.
Remember, you shouldn’t give up. But you shouldn’t keep doing things that don’t work, either.