The Inner Game of Job Seeking

<<Go for quantity. During your job search, generate many job leads and interviews. Post your resume on numerous boards. Develop many contacts. Do many information interviews. If you are juggling many opportunities, sheer numbers will work in your favor.

Be prepared. Choose a great outfit for your next interview. Have it cleaned and pressed and waiting in your closet. By preparing in the physical world, you are more likely to generate the energy that will draw opportunity to you.


Research the company you are targeting. Of course you are going to check the company's website. Be sure to read the latest press releases so you know the news about that company. Ask friends and family if they know someone who works there. If they do, call and talk to the employee. Drive by to be sure you know the location. Deliver your resume by hand and learn the receptionist's name. Ask her for contact names and spellings. Go to the company's parking lot at closing time and strike up a conversation with employees. One resourceful job seeker managed to have a flat tire in the parking lot of a company she was targeting. She made friends with several helpful employees and got an interview that week!

Develop a list of 80 people who can help you. You already know at least 250 people. Make a list of 80 who can help you with job leads. On your list, don't forget all your professional contacts — former supervisors, coworkers, vendors, and clients. Include associates you have met through professional organizations, your church, athletic groups, and hobbies. Don't forget about your attorney, insurance agent, hairdresser, masseuse, and other service providers. These people know hundreds of people, or they wouldn't be in business. Tell everyone you know the kind of position you are seeking, and ask for their help.

Stay in regular phone contact with your sources. Find reasons to call and email people who can help you with job leads. Contact each one every two to four weeks. You can send a new resume or a new cover letter and ask for feedback. Call about a conversation with a mutual acquaintance. Call with networking contacts for them, or offer an article of interest, a website, or an introduction. Each time, restate clearly what you are looking for.

See 6 Things Attorneys and Law Students Need to Remove from Their Resumes ASAP If They Want to Get Jobs with the Most Prestigious Law Firms for more information.

Create a "new truth" and say it 50 times a day. (So many people showed an interest in this concept that I am repeating it. If your request got lost, please ask me again.) You begin with your greatest fear — for example, "I will never again have a well-paying job. I will end up poor, alone, and on welfare." Then, you create a new truth that speaks to that fear — for example, "I have my pick of satisfying, well-paying jobs." Notice that the new truth has no negative ideas and is in the present tense. Create your own and begin saying it today — 25 times in the morning and 25 times before you go to sleep. This one idea could be all it takes to mentally free you so that you will find, win, and accept the perfect position. If you would like a list of 20 new truths, send me an email at cj@workdharma.com.

Regardless of the switch you make, think "career adjustment," not "career change." Be kind and gentle with yourself.