Have you been looking for work in the same field with no luck securing an interview, let alone a job offer?
If you are certain that your job search strategy, including your resume and cover letter are “state of the art”, then you might want to ask yourself whether or not your heart is really in this job search.
In other words, do you truly want to continue in your field of experience? Or has it become your default option out of fear of failure in a different field or lack of clarity as to how to proceed in a new direction?
I’ve seen many people over the years that were discouraged over their lack of success finding a job they were not very excited about in the first place.
Given the current competition in the job market for any job, it makes sense that people who express genuine enthusiasm in their application process are the most likely to receive an employment offer.
Perhaps your inability to move ahead in the same old, familiar direction is a wake up call to look elsewhere.
Often people have inklings about a new direction they might like to try and just need some encouragement and information about how to get started.
Like the woman who once came to me and, almost in a whisper, said that she had “an idea in her heart” about her next career path. Given the fact that her work had been in a linear, analytical field, her language seemed to hint at a different arena and I was interested to hear more about it.
After a process in which she validated her idea and assumptions against current marketplace realities, she negotiated a career shift from accounting to teaching.
Perhaps you, too have an idea tucked away that is just waiting for you to listen so it can lead you to your next, best career.
