As a colleague recently described, “Your job search is like the airlines. You have candidates in arrivals, those waiting in the departure lounge and then there are those who are lost in baggage claim.” When your job search resembles a plane stuck on the tarmac, it’s time to take matters into your own hands as opposed to waiting for a queue from air traffic control! Managing your career these days can feel like a trip to nowhere when all you want to do is get home. It’s okay you are not alone. When the gates seemed closed, move forward and find the next flight out.
Waiting for the right opportunity or any opportunity is not likely something you can afford to do especially if you have been out of work for sometime. Finding your way even one there are none before you that looks appealing, means it’s time to make your own path before someone chooses for you. Creating your own opportunities in a time when options seem limited might not seem very easy for you to do. Whether you are coming or going flying in your job jet liner, remember mapping out your career course is in your hands and no one else.
Plotting your next move in what seems like an endless game of catch up when your friends and colleagues seem to be getting all the plum assignments doesn’t seem very fair. Looking at what the next person has and comparing yourself to someone else no matter how well you think they have it or not, is not going to help you land your career plane any faster. The course is not smooth no matter who is flying the plane. All of us have obstacles to overcome when it comes to managing our careers and figuring out the choices we need to make in the process is not suppose to be easy.
When you start to take care of yourself, addressing your own needs and what it is that really makes you happy you’ll find your way down the runway no matter who might be getting there before you. If you keep waiting for them to call Group 4 then you’ll never make it where you are headed. Sometimes it’s okay to move in front of the line and to insist on priority boarding. You need to learn to take the initiative in what may be a long wait in finding your next job.
Your career may resemble a claim for lost luggage but that doesn’t mean you have to wait endlessly for them to locate your bags. Sometimes, it makes sense to go out and buy a new toothbrush and fresh pair of underwear just in case. Taking charge when the rest of the world waits is not such a bad thing. It’s always better to be a Group 1 rather than a Group 4 even when it comes to your job search.
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Copyright © 2012 Lisa Kaye | HR | Consulting | Los Angeles | Entertainment | Human Resources | Search - The Career RebelPopularity: 5% [?]
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