Here’s the issue:
Job seekers are too sensitive.
Really?
Yep.
Job seekers are often so intensely aware of the big goal (finding a job) that any activity in their network causes an over-reaction or too quick of a reaction.
So they become like a hungry spider on a quiet web.
Waiting.
And when something happens, there is an over-reaction to a new vibration on the web.
But why do
job seekers over-react? Why so sensitive? Well, obviously this is important stuff. Our financial lives and family stability often rely upon getting a job. So it matters, of course.
Want some examples?
- You get an interview on a Tuesday and, expecting a call no later than Friday, you call Thursday, Friday and Monday to get an update. You are trying too hard and sending a message that you have few other options.
- You get a call from a recruiter on a possible opportunity. Before they get on their next call, you are calling them back.
- A hiring manager gives you the feedback you asked for (this time it was negative) and you don’t like it. You take it personally and let them know (in no uncertain terms) that they made a mistake.
“Being too sensitive creates negative feelings in the mind of the collective hiring community.”
Yes.
But there are more confident and positive ways to show it.
So how does a job seeker learn to be less sensitive?
Stay Positive – Despite some negative news along the way,
you have to stay positive. You simply can’t go negative. People don’t want to hear the bad news or the frustration. They want to hear your solution to the problems of the world, your job search or your industry.
Don’t Take Things Personally – It’s easy to assume you screwed up when things go wrong. Often the reason things go sideways have nothing to do with you or your actions. Relax. Find
someone to talk to and get their thoughts.
Get busy – Join a new networking group, fill your days with events and coffee meetings, start a blog, an
accountability group, a
reading group or anything else that will fill your mind with positive, forward moving activity. Anything to keep you from checking email every five minutes.
This isn’t easy. I understand that.
Having been through my own job search, I remember feeling sensitive. I remember feeling concerned and wondering when this whole diversion would end.
But it did end. And yours will too.