When unemployed the question we all want answered is “When is it going to end?”

There is no greater experience of uncertainty as when you are unemployed. In contrast, we much rather prefer having certainty and just as important consistency in our life. Yet, when unemployed, we must deal with both uncertainty and definitely a lack of consistency in what each day, each conversation and each interview brings.

People generally don’t handle uncertainty very well because of the inability to plan and to plan our future involves belief in events occurring in a specific timeframe. Having to manage uncertainty is difficult because of not knowing the conclusion and the timing. When unemployed we not only are extremely eager to know when it will end but what the resolution will look like. This uncertainty can be extremely stressful.

When employed we can establish an end date for a project completion and work toward that goal. The key is that when we are employed we are in control of the process and can actually set the end date and how the outcome will look. Unfortunately, when we are unemployed control is elusive. As much as we can do we can’t make anyone hire us, and definitely not in a timeframe that we desire or require.

It is much easier mentally to know on what specific date an event is going to occur. We know when our birthday is, we know when holidays are celebrated, we know when our children will graduate and we know when we will finish a seminar, certification or degree.

Not knowing when something will occur puts an enormous amount of strain on someone not only mentally, but emotionally and physically. How can you plan for the conclusion of an event when you don’t know when, and if it is going to occur?

How does all of this impact us and what can we do about it? This confusion and lack of decisive information profoundly impacts our thinking, beliefs and actions. Just watch how the stock market makes traders crazy every day, and often people lose money, because they make irrational decisions totally created out of the fact they don’t know what is going to happen.

A human trait is that when we are not sure what is going to happen, we start to make assumptions, or come to conclusions on what next steps to take, mental approach to employ, and adjustment in our beliefs and subsequently what is the best course of action.

In addition, we begin making assumptions and conclusions about our own ability. All too often upon not landing the job offer, our self-confidence is eroded. We may begin to doubt our interviewing skills, our networking skills, the layout of our resume and much more. We doubt until we wonder if we will ever land a job again. Consequently, we feel compelled to change wording in our resume, seek out the latest LinkedIn technique, rehearse another 20 interview questions and work continually on our elevator speech. Yet, when flying a plane and encountering turbulence, the airplane pilot does not land the plane and consider changing the tires, changes to the wings, changes to the engines and maybe a different airplane all together. Instead the airplane pilot adjusts to the wind and storms moving around them, yet remaining focused on the final destination.

In a job search we never really have all of the information on the status of our job search. We don’t know who has seen our profile or resume online, who might have forwarded our resume to a friend, or who might have brought up our name in a conversation. Making assumptions on the depth of our ability and impact of our networking connections can only lead us astray.

Remember you have the right skills, the right expertise and experience. Placing additional pressure on you to hurry and land that job creates unneeded stress and causes additional mental confusion. You also may makes decisions on an knee-jerk reaction instead of clear thinking.  If you know what direction you are headed, trust your experience and keep headed in that direction. An airplane pilot doesn’t spend time helping build the airplane – rather he/she trusts in its ability to fly, and fly effectively. Instead the pilot focuses on continuing to head in the intended direction.

Your time will come. Your job offer is coming. Remain diligent and focused on your path. Throughout my web posts and newsletters, you have noticed I focus solely on the impact of human behavior and mindset on your job search results. Our minds can play enormous tricks on us and impact our ability to be effective in the interview and when networking.  What you believe about yourself, your ability, the job search process, the world and people in general attract to you experiences mirroring those beliefs.  These are THE key factors in what you experience in your job search.

The reason I know is that I had to change the way I viewed myself and the job search process before I landed jobs I desired.  Painstakingly I learned these lessons, and do not wish those struggles on you. When I learned these keys, my job search results changed. And I saw this with others who were greatly successful.

The 40 Keys job search program focuses heavily on how to overcome these mental obstacles while providing a unique approach to job search tactics.  Quite often it’s not your resume or profile that creates the roadblocks to achieve the job offer or achieve any goal in life; rather landing the job all comes down to what you believe about yourself, your ability and your talent. If you have any self-doubts this program will transform your thinking to regain your confidence, effectively communicate your expertise and land that next job.

I know you can do it.  Your time is coming. Believe in you.

Have a job search question? Contact me at gary@garyspinell.com

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From the book, It Was YOU, All Along

When working toward any goal or desired outcome, there are countless possibilities of the path we will take to achieve that goal. We discover that the events, people and places we experience along that path are amazing and often surprising.  Why? Because we have a tendency to focus or contemplate on the possibilities, and path, we would like to appear. We visualize how each step of the process will be played out as if directing a movie.

At the same time we often view the world in the here and now. Our reality is based only on what we can feel, see and touch. We view our world in finite, exact terms. For example, many of us would like to win the lottery. Lottery jackpots have escalated in the last several years to over one hundred million dollars. When I was a child I could not “imagine” the significance of one million dollars. I could not understand fully the magnitude of that much money. If the amount was all in one dollar bills, I wondered how high the pile would reach if each dollar was stacked upon the next.

Today, I can conceptualize one million dollars or one million people in my mind, although it is still difficult. If we have difficulty imagining the magnitude of one million, or maybe one hundred million dollars, imagine the reality of one billion dollars or one trillion dollars, or stars in the universe. Some numbers are just too big for us to get our minds around.

The same is true for possibilities, and the experiences and accomplishments that can occur in our life.  If we attempt to focus on how our journey will unfold, we limit the Universal number of possibilities. There are a countless number of possibilities of what doors will open for us, who we will encounter each day and what unique piece of information will be presented to us to help us succeed. The nuance to master is by not forcing a particular path to occur we allow an infinite number of possibilities to unfold, which brings us to our goal much sooner.

In addition, the nuance to master is to not focus on how our journey will unfold, but simply to experience the journey.  Stay in the moment and focus on what work we need to do, and the possibilities to complete our journey will present themselves to us perfectly.

We often block the best options from occurring.  How? Well, our mind has a tendency to ONLY hold on to that which it can rationalize and comprehend. Since it is very difficult to understand and comprehend an infinite number of possibilities, our minds reduce large numbers to amounts to which we can relate to or understand.

 The problem occurs when we believe the amount
that we can relate to is all there is!

Any amounts or possibilities beyond those we can comprehend are eliminated in our minds as unachievable and not part of our realities. Yet, in reality, there are thousands of possibilities.  So let’s focus on the work to complete our goal and let the Universe bring us the perfect possibilities of people, places and events to achieve our goal, and complete our journey.

–   This exerpt from the book It Was YOU, All Along
Available on Amazon at http://amzn.to/XFZqWK

Discover all of the possibilities AND
how to get unstuck to cross the threshold to your dreams.
For a SHORT TIME ONLY – Purchase either
It Was YOU, All Along or
Beyond Intent: Crossing the Threshold to Your Dreams
(in any format) and receive FREE the other book in pdf.
Email me after purchase to receive your free copy.

Have a question? Contact me at gary@garyspinell.com. 
Thank you!        

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Most likely you recall the movie “The Wizard of Oz” where Dorothy, after being transported via a tornado to another world says to her dog “We’re not in Kansas anymore.” Dorothy quickly learns that the rules and what was normal that she learned growing up in Kansas no longer applied in this new land.

When unemployed it is very easy to feel the same. Being unemployed is like no other situation you will experience.  When employed, you made decisions on projects, the timing of when those projects would be completed, when to hold meetings, when to make a recommendation to your boss or peers, and much more.  You were in control.

Now when unemployed you can’t make anyone hire you. There is so much less control, and most of the time you will feel as you don’t have any control over the process. You find people do not return a call or email quickly as they did when you were employed. People give more vague responses compared to when you were employed. It is quite easy to feel as if you are not in Kansas anymore.

The communication process is so much different when you are unemployed. You are now on the outside looking in and it is often so difficult to get anyone’s attention. And once you do, you can be sure they are thinking of 5 other things during your conversation or reading your email.

At the same time, much of your success does depend not only on your actions, but what you believe about the world, the job search process and your own abilities. Take pride in your accomplishments and go confidently through the process with your extensive experience and expertise.

In the movie, Dorothy meets up with 3 other characters all looking for something to fulfill their dream and even their self-esteem.  They did learn much along the way, and at the same time their experiences and challenges brought the best out of them!

In the end they learned as Dorothy did, that she could return home at any time – she had the power within. The key is to see the power and ability, learn and discover how to access this power and ability, and finally how to use it to its maximum effectiveness.

In a job search as with Dorothy, we are so close to the challenge that we don’t see how to overcome the challenge, and in our case, land that job offer. The key to landing that job offer you so greatly desire does not come from the latest LinkedIn technique; rather, being aware of your human behavior and perception of your situation and those around you. Your mindset of how you approach your job search, for example, which career path to choose, what you focus your time on each day, and how well you interact and communicate with others at all times, are critical factors in your job search success.

We often can’t see some of the barriers we are creating which is why in a job search it is extremely valuable to seek out someone who can provide independent perspective giving you honest feedback and clarity.  Frequently much of our stress and indecision on what steps to take next in our search comes from our own fear of rejection, lack of self-esteem and fear of the unknown.

As we know, the biggest and greatest fear of being unemployed is not knowing when it is going to end.  Yet, you can overcome these fears and barriers and be just like Dorothy, discovering she had the power within to land that next job – which is how we feel when we have returned home.  Struggling in a specific part of your job search? Check out the 4 NEW sections of the Unique Keys program broken into the area you want to address: Interviewing, Recruiters & Networking, Commons job search mistakes, and Mental keys of success!  Click here to learn more http://garyspinell.com/40keysebooks/

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Have a question? Contact me at gary@garyspinell.com. 
Thank you!