We all are rushing towards the same goal, make money, survive and find employment fast. What we don’t stop to consider is what are we doing to hurt ourselves in the process to get ahead. Committing career suicide is something we are certainly not conscious of doing-at least I hope not?  If you find that you are struggling against the odds and are tired of blaming the next person for your failure to get ahead, consider some of the things you could be doing to stand in your own way.  Trust me, if you look hard enough they are pretty easy to point out.

So long as we are not pointing fingers, let’s look objectively at some of the causes for committing “career suicide”:

1- Not following up when someone has made an introduction for you to network for a job- thinking they should call you instead?  Think again.

2-Pestering someone day & night about a job interview you think went well but probably didn’t if you have not heard back-you more than likely won’t get the job so know when to stop.

3- Openly discussing your dislikes about a co-worker, boss or company whether you are no longer employed and thinking somehow it will not circle it’s way back to you-you are in denial.

4- Thinking by taking the lap top, desk lamp, soft-gel pens and stationary on your way out is a way to hold onto the memories you are wrong-it’s theft plain and simple.

5-Answering online job postings thinking you are being productive while you continue to collect unemployment is not going to move you any closer to getting a job- if you think yours is the only resume out there think again.  You are going to have to try a little harder.

6- Thinking you don’t need a resume, business cards or strategy when you don’t have a job is like going out in the rain without an umbrella-you are going to get wet.  You are going to need to work at anything you truly want.

7- Asking how much money you can expect to make during your first interview with a company is about as presumptuous as you can imagine in a job market where people more experienced and willing to take less salary are taking their turn in the next interview room.

8-Don’t think you can’t compete.  This is all about competition.  Thinking you can ride it out on your personality, connections or good looks is not going to cut it anymore. You’ve got to work for it.

9-Believing references are not necessary and you can rely on your accomplishments is akin to a blind man walking into traffic.  Making nice with all those who helped you along the way and staying connected is the only way to ensure you won’t fall flat on your face.

10-Once you have a job, forgetting all those that helped you along the way in your job search and complaining about being too busy, not returning phone calls, emails or lunch invitations because you are so focused on your new job is a sure way for your friends to forget you the next time you need their help.

Next time think if you are deliberately setting yourself up for career suicide and watch for all the sharp objects pointing in your direction-because not staying focused and conscious of your actions will ultimately come back and bite you on the career dark side.

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What is a manifesto you might ask?  A manifesto is a document where you state your intention, your creed, your doctrine and  how you plan to map out and live the career you want.  Your career manifesto outlines your beliefs on how you feel about your career, what your thoughts are about how to get the career you want and it is usually formatted by a series of questions and answers which are your own personal manifesto. What are the governing principles behind your career goals?  What is it that makes you motivated enough to do what it takes to get the job you really want?  How do you view yourself against others and what do you think the world philosophy is about career, work, jobs and of course getting ahead.

Career goals and ambitions are fundamentally not very different than they were when our parents were growing up.  We believe that our careers are a means to a lifestyle we want.  However, the ways in which we go about achieving these goals are very different from the days our parents went about looking for work.  Your career manifesto must define your ambitions, your intent and your philosophy on what it is and what it will take to achieve your goals.  It’s not so much a “to do” list of actionable items such as, update my resume, get a list of references, join networking groups, as much as it is a very personal reflection on your intentions and beliefs about what your career means to you and the life you are attempting to build.

To illustrate, your career manifesto should start off with a mission statement of sorts which outlines your guiding values and ambitions such as:  ” The achievements of my career will be to accumulate and create a life long body of work that will define my talents, beliefs, contributions to a greater good where I can provide materially for myself and my family.”  Your manifesto should follow with statements of how you plan to achieve these goals and outline your fundamental belief system in a way that will help to motivate, focus and manifest your intentions to create the career you really want. Your manifesto is meant to define purpose and meaning to your career pursuits.

Here are a few examples of how you might craft your manifesto and use it as a road-map to help keep you on the path towards achieving your career goals:

1- There are no boundaries or limitations in my ability to earn substantial money doing what I am good at.

2- I am as deserving as anyone who continues to work hard, stay focused and contribute at a higher level.

3- I view competition as a means to excel and not to discourage me in my journey towards success.

4- Competition is good as it promotes everyone to work at a higher level and brings out the best in all.

5- When you embrace your limitations you limit your potential and you set yourself up for failure.

6- Greed is good. Success is empowering and losing is for losers. (Thank you Gordon Gecco!)

7- I can achieve anything I put my mind to and will overcome any challenge or obstacle in my path towards achieving my career goal of_______.

8- When I am working at my highest potential I create wonderful new opportunities for myself and I cannot lose.

9- I rely on my own talents and skills in order to move ahead and do not believe in becoming dependent on others for my success or my career advancement.

10-When I succeed all those around me will succeed.  We all win.

Your career manifesto should above all create your intentions, your beliefs about how you view your ability to succeed and truly define what your career means to you.  Try creating your own career manifesto and see if you can begin to define what is at the core and your fundamental belief systems so that you can harness the power that is within you.

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When you “make it work” you are basically moving your career from a vision to execution no matter the cost. Like a designer carving out the pattern for a dress, you to are creating the look, the feel and the belief that you can achieve anything from your original idea of who and what you aspire to be.  When you sketch out your goals, you begin to create a very clear picture of what you want your career to look like.  This process begins by realistically assessing your skills, your qualifications and experience and melding them into a form that will ultimately create the job vision you want to create. Sometimes your vision may be skewed by your lack of experience and you may get direction or feedback from someone you trust encouraging you to “make it work” because they see potential in what you are doing that you may have missed. Those are the times to pay attention to your own internal guidance system and choose whether the advise you receive is helpful, in line with your vision, or not at all what you aspire to create. Like the struggling fashion designer on the show, you have a choice whether you should follow your own vision or the advise of a mentor.  Either way, it’s up to you to stand behind your decision no matter what the outcome.  So, if you are writing a five-page resume and including things you did when you were back in high school as an example and you may wonder why no one is calling you for an interview, you may want to edit yourself and make it work to fit the audience you are selling yourself to for a job.

Your vision of yourself and how you approach your career goals may change ten times before you get it right, or you may be so clear about your vision of how to get your next job that you know exactly the next steps to follow in order to get there.  You may need to make adjustments along the way, like fitting a pattern to the form, and find what is missing or might need to be embellished in order to achieve the perfect result.  Finding your inner vision and executing it regardless of what others are doing around you is making it work in true Tim Gunn style.  It’s no secret that competition in the job market is fierce these days no matter what industry you are in, particularly when you find yourself up against the same job a hundred other people are going for as well. What you do differently to make it work for you and stand out is a key component in your ability to succeed and get ahead. Taking risks, pushing the envelope and thinking out of the box are all expressions you have heard put to use when helping job seekers find their way. Making it work is finding the ability to self-adjust and approach your job search when nothing else seems to work.

You may enjoy the competitive challenge or you may shrink away from it, but finding your voice, your vision and your career goal is like creating your own personal design no one can deny. Competition brings out the best and the worst in us whether the challenge is getting a job or winning a contest.  Finding creative solutions in your job quest depends on how creative you are willing to be and what you are willing to do to get the job you want. Knowing how to leverage your contacts to get an interview, or approaching the right person at the right time for a job, or changing your approach when you are not getting job offers, are necessary if you are going to make it work and be successful in winning. How you play the job game is important in getting the job you want.  Remember, if something isn’t working on your quest for the perfect job, you have to be ready and willing to “make it work” in order to win.

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Your career will take shape when you do. Whether you are currently amongst the ranks of the employed or fighting your way off the unemployment line, your motivation, creativity, stamina and ability to bend towards your next opportunity is as vital to your success as any single action you can take. Your ability to adjust to changing circumstances will ensure that you are poised to compete at a much higher level. Keeping your “edge” and remaining focused no matter what you are focused on, will make you a worthy opponent in whatever job challenge you choose.

We constantly are taught to discard the old for the new. Whether it’s the mere task of “spring cleaning” getting rid of old clothes, shoes or whatever else no longer “fits”, you find ways to rid yourself of what no longer works. This sometimes includes old ways of doing things, old ideas or limiting thought patterns or behaviors that no longer serve you in favor of a new and fresh approach to embracing your career. Allowing yourself the freedom to choose and to remain flexible grants you a pass to the head of the line-even if that happens to be the unemployment line.

Change is necessary even when you are being asked to compromise. You may be a fine artist who is asked to illustrate a commercial poster for a billboard, or a program development executive who must translate television content for the phone, or an independent documentary film maker who is asked to shoot a cereal commercial. Either way, we all face challenges where we must remain adaptable in order to reach our highest potential.  Of course, if you are being required to give up on your principles then by all means run. But if you are being asked to change your perspective, approach or style, then it’s okay to go with the flow and to “bend” a little.

In order to succeed in finding your perfect career, it’s sometimes necessary to take un-calculated risks towards your goals.  Sometimes we bend in order to lead and sometimes we bend in order follow. Whichever we choose, we need to trust in the wisdom of our own decisions and follow through with the choice we make.  In your career, there are times when it may be easier to follow than to lead and there is no less nobility in that choice. Sometimes, followers have certain advantages over leaders when it comes to their ability to remain flexible in support of one cause or another. Whether you choose to follow someone else in their career, or choose to create and lead your own, the one thing to always remember is to remain flexible and occasionally be ready and willing to bend.

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Life is full of changes.  Whether you are expecting a child, moving into a new house, recently engaged or in transition wondering if you should change careers, these types of challenges can evoke deep fears and apprehension.  That is okay.  This kind of fear is good.  There is a wisdom in fear.  The wisdom comes in knowing when to quit, or when to stick with it, or when to have the good sense to know when it’s time to move on. Fear can usually  throw us for a loop.  Fear has a way of forcing us through our comfort zone and helping us face our new career choice whether we think we are ready for it or not.

If we learn to respect the lessons that fear has to teach us we may even be able to welcome the moments when we are afraid as a reminder of when it’s time to make a move in our career.  While it’s not usual for us to welcome or even to honor  fear as an ally, if we learn to recognize our fear as a wake-up call for change, we can learn to make our career choices with a sense of calm and understanding.

Feeling uncertain or insecure about making a career change whether you have a job or are looking for your next one is a normal and expected part of the job search process. We all have fears and question the choices we make even if we are not ready or prepared to make them especially when it comes to what we most want to do and where we’d most like to be.

When we face our fear of change, we can overcome any obstacle in our efforts to find the perfect job.  One way to face our fear is to write them down, express them in words, phrases, pictures or images.  Make a collage of your fears, a visual representation of what scares you the most.  And then do something really wonderful with them.  Burn them.  Create a ritual where you release the past and make room for the future.

Create a collage of your perfect job.  Include pictures of  where you’d like to work- Disney, Universal, Sony. Write a description of your perfect job, include how much money you’d like to make, even print paper money and post it on your board.  List the awards and accolades you’d like to earn. Begin to truly create and build your “Career Vision Board.”  You’ve heard of vision boards to illustrate where you’d like to live, what car you’d like to drive, what relationship you’d like to be in and so on. Well using that same concept, create your Career Vision Board to help you visualize and  focus on what it is you truly want from your next career move.  When you stay focused, clear and intent on what it is you truly desire from your life, you begin to forget the very thing that prevents you from getting there-fear.

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You might ask, “How would that work exactly if I’m unemployed with no prospects on the way? That’s just the point, it’s easy and it’s about helping those who can help you – a win-win for everyone!  So instead of party favors, floral arrangements, and receiving meaningless gifts to mark the occasion, create a “Job Registry” listing all of the jobs, companies, positions you are interested in working for in your quest for your next job.

You can make this a virtual party or a real one, depending on your desire for an actual martini and how much you really like hanging out with your guests. Unlike the obligatory bridal shower where you have to invite Aunt Millie and your high school girl friend turned serial bridesmaid, here you can invite only those folks who will help fulfill your wish of finding your dream job and or working for your dream company.  Even if your idea is to start your own business, invite guests who will help you find resources like funding, business plans, office space and list your needs on your Job Registry and invite those who can help you build your dream.

Ok, here’s how you get started.  Start by inviting 10-15-20 of your friends, colleagues, contacts from your network and each of them has to bring you a “gift” from your Job Registry.  Each guest will be instructed to provide you with any one of the following: 1) a job lead that you have heard about but don’t have a contact at the company, 2) an interview with one of your target companies, 3) a barter service to help you with your headshot, resume, or portfolio, 4) a list of legitimate prospects and or contacts you don’t already have on your list, and best of all, 5) a potential for a job offer, project or consulting assignment!

Forget about getting drunk at another networking event and meeting people you don’t know or who really don’t want to know you. With a job shower, you are throwing the party and are in complete control of the invites, the gifts and the potential for a job offer from one of your guests!  This is a way for your friends or contacts to not only help you, but you in return can provide your own “party favor” and offer to barter your services to those who come bearing gifts and help them in some special way as well.  You can personalize your party favor too by offering your guests services like pet sitting, house cleaning, gardening, or whatever else that person needs assistance with in their lives.

You can keep it small to start.  No need to rent a hall, hire a band or a professional photographer.  All you need to start is provide  your guests with your “Job Registry” and hope they will come bearing some meaningful and entertaining leads and offer you a gift you won’t be looking to return.

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Trusting in yourself and what you want from your life and your career can be a scary concept.  For one, there is no one to blame if things go wrong.  You have to own your decisions and the consequences that come along with those decisions because you have no one else to blame if things go wrong.  You are solely responsible for your actions and that can be scary.  The choices around your career are not separate events outside your control.  You decide how to dress for an interview, how to carefully craft your resume, which network you should tap  and who to add to your professional reference list. It’s all in your hands.

There is freedom when you gain control over your career and your life. It’s no doubt a scary feeling but it can be filled with personal satisfaction when all goes according to plan. Freedom offers you the ability to call the shots, choose the course and back off when you feel it’s not the right path. The trust you place in yourself is what will help you overcome the fear of the unknown and guide you on your way towards a successful life.

Rejection is another barrier to entry on the path to true liberation from fear. Will they call me for a second interview?  Will I pass the test?  Will they like me?  These are the questions that are confidence crushers in the face of fear. Being crippled in doubt and second-guessing how others will like us is not the way to make friends and influence people.  Understanding and trusting in the process of what it takes to get what you want will. Thinking about polite ways to turn down the job offer before you actually get one is the dangerous game we play of living in our head and not in reality.  It’s your fear of rejection before being offered the job that keeps us out of the game and stuck where we don’t want to be most of the time.  Finding away around this obstacle and remaining focused on your goal, trusting in yourself and listening to what you want are ways to combat the fear before it overcomes you.

It’s easy to get caught in the tide, to drown yourself in fear of rejection, lack of trust and self-doubt but riding out the wave of fear although scary, will lead you to the sweet and salty taste of success on your lips and an exhilarating ride of your life.

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In order to embrace a Job Revolution, we must be ready and willing to change. Sometimes it’s ok to stir things up and become a “Career Rebel” as one woman put it. The process begins and ends with you.  It’s your choice how you’d like to create the drama in your own life and reach success by harnessing a revolutionary change.  When all things align to create the balance you need, and you are ready to tap your job network, garner support from friends and co-workers and most of all be ready to embrace whatever comes your way, you are ready for a Job Revolution.

Your revolution will begin when you are ready to fill a personal need to change. Whether that need is driven by your ability to support yourself or your family, your unnerving drive and ambition to make millions or your desire to create and be part of something greater than yourself, then you are ready to revolt and change the course of your career.  How strong your conviction and desire for change will dictate the urgency with which you are willing to move to make things happen.  Think of the job you are in now, whether you are a senior talent agent at CAA or a production assistant trying to move up the ranks in a studio, or you have some creative or technical ability and you’ve been looking for the right outlet to explore your talents-now is the time to revolt!  With so many people vying for your job or applying for your job, you’ve got to stir things up and take a stand so you are noticed, desired and the one leading the charge.

This battle cry in a time of chaos is a good thing. It’s ok to get riled up if you are not where you want to be, have exhausted your career options only to wonder, what’s next? All great change in history was derived through chaos and revolt.  A revolution, if directed and focused, has a way to radically change the way you present yourself and your talents to the rest of the world. Revolution is a way to renew your energy and foster the courage it will take to keep pushing through whatever barriers of resistance exist.

Create your own “job revolution” by unleashing a new power  for change that comes from within.   Break the rules in this job market and discover your potential for success. You have to be bold. It’s not enough to stand on ceremony and “office etiquette” when looking to get ahead. You have to discover ways to stand out!   Summoning your strength to be unconventional, daring, unexpected and creative in your approach is the way you grab hold of your career and succeed.  As I read recently, “Even in periods of drought, a wild storm is preferred to yet another sunny day!”  Go out and make your storm and ride your revolutionary wave to success!

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The value we place on ourselves is based in part from the perceptions we remember from our past. Whether we were competitive, shy, nurturing, independent or withdrawn, we define our perception of ourselves based on how we interacted and reacted to the way others viewed us.  This perception may not have been entirely accurate, but whether good or bad it had a hand in shaping us into who and what we are today.

Discovering what we are truly capable of achieving, depends on our ability to step away from the past perceptions that haunt us and to boldly move towards the ideal vision we hold of ourselves. Whether that vision includes being an actress, writer, painter, engineer, astronaut or production assistant, how we choose to “invent” ourselves will help guide the choices we make in realizing our true potential.

We were born with the ability to choose our path no matter how great or small our beginning. We learned to be confident, we were not born with it.  Each action, choice and decision we made helped create a confident or insecure perception of who we are today.   When we allow the perception of others to render us powerless, we give into the fear, hopelessness, rejection and insecurity that ultimately holds us back.

In your search for the perfect job, find ways to recall the choices, decisions and actions that proved successful. Was it the great job interview you had with Disney and they offered you a job on the spot?  Was it the way you jumped in and solved the crises of the moment to be recognized by your boss and given a promotion?  Was it the time you helped someone else find a job and they thanked you with tickets to a Lakers game and dinner?  Whatever moments from your past you can recall and keep recalling when you need to, will only help to reinforce the worth and value you have for yourself.

Our potential is grounded in our ability to remain secure and confident. No matter how good we prove to be at something, we can truly reach our potential if we hold on to our perfect image of ourself and to learn to take necessary risks towards achieving our goals.  When we challenge ourselves towards achieving a “personal best” in everything we do, we not only retain our confidence but we move that much closer to discovering our true potential.  So the next time you feel, “not up to par” or you lose out to another “more qualified” candidate, think about all successes you have achieved be they big or small and remember that each road takes you towards your true potential one small obstacle at at time.

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If you are thinking well does that mean if I’m not successful I somehow deserve it? Well, I guess the correct answer is “yes”.  If you are not successful, in whatever you deem as successful, you are clearly doing something to hold yourself back.  If you’ve been on 100 interviews and have not gotten a job offer you have to wonder why?  Yes, the economy is tough, but you also need to figure out what responsibility you hold in the process.  If no one is taking your calls, responding to your emails, your networking is just not working, or you are still unemployed after a year on the street, you are right it’s not fair and someone needs to help and the only person that can is you.

You get what you deserve when you think you are putting all of your effort into something but still falling short. There is no possible way in life that if you truly are focused on achieving your goal you won’t achieve it.  Now if your goal includes being Madonna or Kobe Bryant and you can’t hold a tune or a basketball, then yes, you will get what you deserve-no offers to sing at your cousin’s wedding or to even join an amateur basketball game.

We all stumble upon hard times, obstacles and the like, but what makes one person “successful” over another’s constant efforts to succeed, is in the ability to be self-aware and recognize what makes us good from what does not.  We can try to be Madonna or Kobe but wasting our time in areas we might never succeed leads us down the road of “It’s not fair,” “No one helps me,” and “I’m just not good enough.”

The feeling sorry for yourself blues is one tune we have all sung one or more times in our life.  Sometimes it helps to get it out of our system and sometimes it just helps continue to keep us down.  You get what you deserve when you try really hard, stay the course, remain focused and diligent and act with integrity, confidence and come from a secure place in all that you do.  You get what you deserve when you lead by example and stop comparing yourself to what everyone else has and what you lack.  What you get when you focus on what you don’t have is more of what you don’t have.

So, the next time you try out for that creative executive job at Sony and wonder why they are not calling you back after the 10th interview, think about all you could have done and how well you showcased your talents and if you still have no job offer the very least you can say is, “Well, they clearly don’t deserve me.”

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