Whether you’re looking for a job or are already gainfully (or at least somewhat gainfully) employed one of the keys to getting employed (or better employed) is never sitting back, deciding you’re satisfied with the work you’ve done on your resume and professional enrichment goals, and pushing cruise control.
Something That’s Moving Keeps Moving
Newton’s first law of motion states that: An object is either at rest or moves at a constant velocity unless acted upon by an external force. So what you may say. What does Newton’s law of motion have to do with me and my job search?
Plenty actually. In essence, what the law is saying is that something that’s already moving will keep moving and something that’s not moving will continue not moving – unless something else gets in the way.
So you wrote your resume, checked it twice and saved it in your computer to be sent out to any job that comes up. Once it’s sat there, unchanged in your computer for a while it becomes one of those unmoving objects. It’s losing momentum and relevance and it’s going to continue sitting there not moving until acted on by an external force – you. You updating it, you tailoring it to each job. You continually doing new things you can add to it.
The More Force You Apply The Faster The Movement
The wisdom of Newton doesn’t stop there. The second law states: The acceleration of a body is directly proportional to the force being applied.
It’s pretty easy to see how that applies to you. The more attention you pay to that job search (or upgrade) the more force you apply, the more movement you’ll see in your situation.
Essentially it all comes down to momentum. It’s a lot easier to keep momentum moving than to build momentum or worse, to start momentum.
Before we close off, one more bit of wisdom from Newton. A few words of inspiration actually. “Live your life as an Exclamation rather than an Explanation.”
You’re introverted. You probably prefer to be in the company of a few to the company of many. You’re not the type to come away from loud, busy situations feeling stimulated. You may not the first to voice your opinion (which is not to say you don’t have as strong opinions as anyone else). Does that mean your job search is going to be harder or less successful than your extroverted contemporaries? Not at all. It just means you’re going to take a different path to your destination.
Can you find it in yourself to network?
An extrovert might find him or herself the center of attention at a party or ahead of the pack in the most Facebook friends competition, but the key to networking is building relationships. One-on-one relationships, where you articulate what you’re looking for and ask for guidance and help. And one-on-one, an introvert has just as much chance of making that connection as an extrovert.
Should you forget about every being a leader?
Does being introverted mean you shouldn’t have leadership ambitions or desires? Absolutely not! Although extroverts and introverts have different management styles and relate differently to the people they work with, neither one is any better or worse in leadership positions than the other. In some situations the management style of the extrovert will produce better results and in others the introvert. For example people who like a lot of direction will do very well under and extroverted leader. While people who prefer the chance to explore alternatives and experiment with new ways of doing things feel more empowered by a more introverted leader.
Can you be a strong salesperson?
At first glace you might be inclined to think a personable, engaging extrovert would be miles ahead in the sales game compared to a quieter more reserved individual. Well look again. Neither introversion nor extraversion will be an indicator success as a salesperson. The best sales people it turns out are the ones in the middle. They don’t turn others off with all the loud blustering, neither do they get ignored in the quiet. For sales the best road is the middle road and that’s where intros and extros need to meet.
Albert Einstein was an introvert, so was Warren Buffet and so is J.K. Rowling, just to name a few. All very much in the public eye, all leaders, all unafraid of success, game changers. When it’s your turn up at bat, the real question isn’t whether you prefer wear a brightly colored shirt blazoned with I’M HERE! or you prefer more muted attire. The question is what you do once the ball has been pitched.
If you keep doing the same thing over and over again, how can you expect different results? The first time I heard that line was during a conference call with a group of salespeople. As far as I knew, it had just come out of the brain then mouth of Doug the guy who was running the call. Later I read a variation of it somewhere online: The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results and I realized the words weren’t Doug’s. Since then I’ve seen variations of it more times than I can count. It’s been attributed to Albert Einstein, Ben Franklin, in my case, Doug and probably many others.
The line is referred to and repeated so often because it’s one of those statements that makes you stop and think and if you’re really thinking, rather than skimming or thinking about several things at once, possibly including a snack or the attractive person that just walked by, you’ll realize – That’s right! If I want to see some change in (fill in the blank) aspect of my life that I’m not happy with, then I can’t just sit around and wait for that change to show up, I’m going to have to be the change!
Positive and Negative
Like so many things in life, there’s a positive side to the same things = same results equation and a negative side – depending on what that thing you’re doing is. Like for instance brushing your teeth. Most people brush their teeth at least twice a day expecting to maintain healthy teeth, and for the most part it works. A clean bill of heath with the dentist. Some people don’t bother brushing their teeth regularly and are surprised every time they go to dentist to hear the sound of the drill (if those non-brushers are going to the dentist).
Tooth brushing might seem like a simplistic metaphor to use to illustrate a life lesson, but some things just are that simple. If you’re consistently getting the results you’re looking for then keep doing what you’re doing. Go further and fine tune your endeavors, figure out exactly what’s bringing in those positive results, intensify that and KEEP DOING IT. However if you’re consistently not getting the results you’re looking for, but you keep on doing things just the way you’ve always done them hoping results will finally be different because – it’s only fair you’ve been waiting a long time! Then pull up a chair, and think about taking up knitting, because you’re going to be in for a long wait.
Change Your Attitude Change Your Life
Oftentimes we hope or wish things were different. We might go so far as to think positive thoughts and visualize a different life for ourselves, but hoping, wishing and visualizing aren’t going to make one speck of difference if you don’t get down to the basics. If you continue to not brush your teeth, no matter how much you visualize the dentist not picking up his or her drill or what positive thoughts you direct at your mouth, nothing is going to change.
Look at an aspect of your life that’s not unfolding to your satisfaction. Something you’ve been working at for a long time, with no, limited, or unsatisfactory success. You might believe you’re doing your best, unflagging in your persistence and that might very well be true. But sometimes it’s not a matter of how hard you work. Sometimes it’s a matter of completely rethinking your approach, sometimes it’s a matter of a little tweaking. The point is to change it up, to get off the train that follows on already laid down tracks. Walk, ride a bike, drive, parasail, skip, give yourself permission to take the road you’ve never taken and see where it leads. Ask people who’ve succeeded at what you’re trying to accomplish and incorporate their advice. You may not get to where you want to go right away, but at least you’ll be getting somewhere different and with enough persistence you’ll get yourself pointed in the right direction.
If you’re happy with the way things are going then keep on doing what you’re doing. If you’re not happy, then it’s time to change things up!
We’ve all got so many things to do each day. Personal obligations and goals, on top of professional aspirations, along with everything else intrinsic in day-to-day living. It’s no wonder we spend so much time in our heads, going over lists and priorities and commitments. Consumed as we with ourselves, sometimes we lose track of the world outside our personal sphere.
Short with co-workers
You know how things are supposed to run in the office. You’ve been doing your job competently for a long time. When someone else messes up, without thinking your first reaction might be to get angry or short with them. It’s easy to lose track of the fact that not everyone knows what you know.
Before you lose patience with someone or speak out of turn it’s important to get out of your head into the moment. Remind yourself, this other person is coming at the moment, the day, from their own unique perspective. You don’t know what their experiences are or what else they’ve had to deal with recently.
As impatient or irate as you feel, remember, you get to choose how you react. You always have the choice to be kind. You can choose to be patient or to help, as opposed to admonish or disregard.
Don’t forget to be kind to yourself
While some of us might not have any problem being kind to others, there’s still someone who rarely gets the benefit of our kindness. When you mess up what’s your self-talk like? Do you admonish yourself? Or tell yourself that you always screw up? Do you call yourself a failure? Those silent words are as hurtful as physical pain.
As much as with anyone else you feel frustrated or impatient with, you deserve to be treated with kindness. Remind yourself, you are doing your best. Mistakes and delays are inevitable. A setback is an opportunity to try again with renewed determination.
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