Do you ever find yourself talking yourself down? The internal side of a job search usually gets pushed aside in the rush to get the technical — and tangible — job-search tools developed. The mental or internal side of a job search is what takes over once you have the technical side of things under way. It’s what keeps you motivated, confident and moving ahead when all you want is to stop looking and start working.
I like the way Tommy Newberry describes self-talk, specifically as it relates to reaching for success.
Here are five self-talk techniques to use when your job search is getting you down, or you feel you’re not making as much progress as you would like.
1. Try replacing the word “if” with “when.” For example, “When I land a job in marketing, I look forward to implementing a new plan of action.”
2. What you “expect with confidence” tends to materialize. As Henry Ford put it, “Whether you believe you can or believe you can’t, you are right.”
3. What the mind harbors the body expresses. Hiring managers can spot a job candidate who has struggled with a long search by their non-verbal communication as well as the answers they give. If a job candidate is still feeling resentment about a previous job, those feelings are hard to hide.
4. Refuse to take possession of anything you don’t want in your life. Attach yourself mentally and verbally to what you want.
5. Remember that negative self-talk is contagious. Don’t let others contaminate your self-talk with their fear or negativity.
Pay attention to your self-talk, and catch yourself if you start down the path of unproductive thoughts.
How do you deal with the way you talk to yourself?
