Friday, October 8, 2010

Job Search and Personal Responsibility

Why is it that there are still so many people out of work, even well after the recession was pronounced “over”? Why is it that people, in good economies or bad, have a difficult time finding work? These are big questions to ask, and frankly I’m not convinced that there is one answer to them. The reality of the matter is that there are countless reasons for why individuals are out of work right now. If we’re honest, broader categories like the economy (national as well as local) have much to do with it. If we’re honest, policy makers have more to do with it than we like. If we’re honest, there is still that every-present reality of each person’s personal responsibility to make their job search the best it can be.

These broader categories you cannot control, so we just need to get over that. And frankly, in most respects people can do very little to influence their policy makers. Each vote counts, but does each politician listen to each and every voter? That answer goes without saying. At the end of the day all you as a job seeker can have control over is yourself. You and your day, every day. That’s what we all should focus on most. Ask yourself: What am I going to do differently today that could position myself into a positive job seeking opportunity? Or: What am I going to do the same today that I have been doing to create a positive habit that seems to bear good fruit? Whatever you do each day that you network or apply for jobs, it’s all on you.

For some, that can seem reassuring. To control one’s own destiny, so to speak, gives people comfort and solace in a time when it has seemed all that you are (vocationally) has been stripped away. And to a certain extent that is very healthy thinking. For others, this is terrifying. Typically (but not always) there is a kernel of truth in this fear that the job seeker lacks a certain amount of confidence in oneself to succeed. There is a phrase in clinical psychology that might be appropriate for this situation: “fear of success”. Perhaps that’s for a different blog at another time, but the truth remains the same. Lack of confidence in some job seekers might be a contributing factor to one’s joblessness. Notice that I phrased that carefully to say “might” and “contributing”….it is not a guarantee and it is not universal among all job seekers.

Nonetheless, wouldn’t we all like more confidence in ourselves? It’s very human to look down on oneself….buying the lies that the mean girl shoved in your face in middle school, or when a teacher in high school told you that you weren’t good enough in something. For as much as our culture likes to tell us how great we are, it equally likes to tell us how much we’re not (athletic, good looking, smart, you fill in the blank). But we here at the Accounting and Business School of the Rockies do want to tell you that you are “good enough, smart enough, and gosh darnit people like you!” Call the Accounting and Business School of the Rockies today at 303-755-6885 to talk with our experienced and passionate staff about how any one of our six Certificate programs can help you gain the confidence you desire most to be successful in your job search and career thereafter.

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