Habits can be a double-edged sword, some are great and others can be your worst enemy, keeping you from achieving your career dreams. This is a good time to look at your habits and jettison those that do not add depth to your career growth and enhance your job search.
When you think of a job search, think in terms of many pieces that are combined with a personalized touch to form your introduction. These include: Chemistry, work experience, and a communication style that makes you unique. While everyone has a unique job-search experience, there are core habits that create a solid foundation that every successful job seeker has in common.
The top five job-search habits that you should keep this year are:
1. Be persistent: being persistent with your job-search goals helps keep you focused and on track. It’s easy to let your job search go by the wayside when employers are not responsive, but the one habit that will energize your search is persistence. Having a tenacious attitude keeps you moving forward.
2. Follow up: Following up is one habit that can make the difference between those who land a great opportunity and those who miss out. There are so many ways to follow up with people including e-mail, texting, phone calls, social networking, in-person meetings and letters. Remember that following up is a powerful way to keep your name in front of a decision maker and the perception you send is one of motivation.
3. Be resilient: Staying resilient will keep your attitude in check and help you thrive in a competitive job-search market. While resilience is partly a trait one is born with, it can be developed, and it helps you cope with the unplanned events life often brings. Being able to regulate stress and bounce back is key component in a good job search.
4. Stay connected: Keep yourself in the loop by maintaining a good presence online as well as in person. Stay connected to the trends in your field by attending professional association meetings and reading trade journals that discuss current and future trends in your field. Those who stay connected increase their chances of uncovering a great opportunity.
5. Give back: A successful job search is made up exchanging information. It’s a two-way street of sharing conversation, time and information with people. Volunteering is a great way to help people and keep your skills current. Giving back sends a message of goodwill that comes back to you in unexpected ways.
Keeping these five habits will help your job-search efforts and your career in general. Success in life largely depends on the habits you keep, and developing awareness of what works for you is crucial as you move into 2011. Good habits free you from an unproductive job search, and at the end of the day these habits will give you a sense of achievement.
