Whatever You Do, Don’t Act like a Desperate Job Seeker

　　Liz Ryan

　　If you approach your job search with the mindset “I don’t care what kind of job I get – I just need a job!” that desperate energy will radiate from you in waves and everyone around you will feel it.

　　Of course, you feel needy and desperate when you’re job-hunting. When we are under stress, we’re in pain. It’s no fun. We want the job search to be over, and our emotions show in our words and actions. We are not machines.

　　Your ability to face adversity calmly and with trust in yourself is the most important factor in your ability to get the job you deserve.

　　Your confidence and composure are far more important to your job search success than your work history or education. Your attitude is everything! You will teach everyone you meet in your job search how to treat you – based on how you treat yourself.

　　If you show up as the desperate job applicant who will crawl over pile after pile of broken glass to please an employer, you will bring the wrong kinds of people into your sphere. Some of them will get mild amusement from tormenting you with additional interviews, tests, unpaid assignments, and long, unexplained silences.

　　If you show up as a desperate job seeker, you will attract fearful managers who need to abuse the people they supervise.

　　They will be only too happy to treat you like dirt during the recruiting process. They are testing you. If you are willing to put up with abuse during your job search, it will be easy to dominate you once you start the job!

　　Other employers will let you languish in their recruiting pipeline for months and then disappear into the mist without so much as a thank-you note.

　　Your gut is your best guide during your job search, but only if you listen to it.

　　When you stuck in fear, you are likely to tell your trusty gut “Be quiet! I can’t afford to listen to you right now. I need a job!”

　　Here are four signs you’re behaving like a desperate job seeker – something that can only hurt you:

　　1. You spend all of your job search time and energy trying to make sure you look like and sound like the perfect candidate, rather than investing some of your time and energy deciding whether the job is right for you.

　　2. You go to the job interview ready to dance and prance and do whatever the interviewer wants you to do – even divulging proprietary information from your last company if asked to, or answering inappropriate or illegal interview questions.

　　3. After every interview you toss and turn and pick apart your “performance”. You can hardly remember the interviewer’s side of the conversation – all you remember is your own failings and shortcomings.

　　4. As soon as you spot a new job opportunity to pursue, your first thought is “Would these people consider me?”

　　5. When you’re waiting to hear back after an interview, you have wild ideas like “What if I called them and offered to work for the first two weeks for free?”

　　As a desperate job seeker, your judgment will be impaired. You are vulnerable to getting scammed, taking a lousy job offer or pursuing undeserving opportunities for months.

　　Your first priority as a job seeker is to manage your precious mojo supply. Your mojo – that is, your life force and your belief in yourself – is the only fuel source you’ve got. Your mojo supply will power you through your job search, and all your other exciting adventures!

　　How do you build your mojo supply? Here are six ways:

　　1. Listen to your favorite music whenever possible. Create a playlist of your favorite songs. Music is a great tonic!

　　2. Get outside every day and walk, or ride your bike, or do something else out in the air.

　　3. Get physical every day, at least enough to break a sweat. You can dance along with YouTube or stretch on your bedroom floor. Your mojo fuel tank is connected to your body – one influences the other!

　　4. Organize your home. Getting organized is great for your confidence and peace of mind.

　　5. Spend time with people who build you up. Minimize the time you spend with people who suck your mojo away.

　　6. Draw, read, paint, sculpt, work in your garden or do something else that’s creative. A healthy full-time job search schedule is 25 hours per week – five hours per weekday. That’s plenty of time to spend on job-search activities! You need non-job-search time in your day to stay healthy and keep your mojo fuel tank full.

　　As your mojo returns, you won’t feel so desperate anymore.

　　You still need a job, but you’ll know that there are certain jobs and employers that simply don’t deserve your talents. You have survived many of life’s ups and downs already and you are growing new muscles this time around.

　　We are cheering you on!