 |
| Running shoes are kind of like resumes - they adapt to the person wearing them, so they're a customized fit! |
by Megan Elliott, Social Media Developer
Running a marathon is hard work – it requires dedication to
a goal, sacrifice of one’s time and energy, and a payout that is not
guaranteed. Sounds a lot like a job search, come to think of it! Compare the
two…
Making
the decision to run a marathon for the first time is just like making the
decision to do something about your present job situation. First, you have to
figure out how to change what you’re currently doing – are you watching TV
shows instead of walking around the block? Are you eating a bag of potato chips
rather than half a baked potato and steamed broccoli? The right shoes make all
the difference to your new routine too – there’s a reason why basketball
players don’t wear flip flops on the court!
The
first steps to your job search are similar; you need to make time to figure
out what you’re interested in applying for before you start writing your
resume. You need to make time to go to the public library or a career center to
search for jobs, or buy a newspaper and search the classifieds for job
descriptions that interest you. Filling
out an interest survey can point you in the right direction too!
Once you start walking around the block, don’t stop there!
You’re going to run the marathon, so you’ve got to start jogging. Slowly at
first, like jogging a quarter mile and then walking a quarter mile, and working
it up to a half mile, then a mile, building up to the 5K and the 10K, the half-marathon. But wait – a marathon is 26.2 miles! How are
you ever going to get to that point? Look up other marathoners for inspiration,
and all of a sudden you’re inspired again.
Your interest is flagging and you’re possibly feeling a
little discouraged about your job search around this time too. You keep finding
all these jobs that you can do, and that you want to do, but you keep getting
rejection letters, or even worse, no response at all. So
call those hiring managers and ask what it was that caused them to reject you!
Was it the wording on your resume or cover letter? Easily fixed for the next
application, all you have to do is rewrite it. Call your career coach for
pointers and encouragement, and you'll start feeling better about your own
abilities.
One day you’re in your groove, and all of a sudden, you
realize that you’ve run further than you’ve ever run before, and you feel great
about your progress, so you sign up for that marathon. This is your goal, this
is the result of all your hard work! You run in the marathon, not caring that
people are passing you, because this is your moment for you; you changed
yourself and the result is a wonderful sense of pride as you cross that finish
line. Now… celebrate, turn around, and start training for that next marathon,
and beat your personal best!
You’ve
finally gotten through the interview, which went so well you went home with
a broad smile on your face and patting yourself on the back, and it showed in
your thank-you note. They call and give you an offer, and after considering and
perhaps
a little negotiation and a discussion of benefits – you’ve accepted! Now
you’re working, and you keep showing your boss just how good of a worker you
are, which is nothing that can be adequately put on a resume. This is what all
those hours spent sending applications were for, and now you have to keep
proving yourself. Take on those work challenges with a smile on your face,
because you did it! Who knows what you can accomplish next?
*Dedicated to the
victims of the Boston Marathon bombing.
0 comments:
Post a Comment