Top 10 Reasons That May Be Keeping You From Finding The Job You Really Want

You’ve searched and searched and searched for that ideal job. Nonetheless, it keeps eluding you. Could one of these ten factors be why?

Many people set out to find a job that genuinely fits their giftedness. So why do so many of them fall short of that objective? 

In this guest post, Bev Godby lists ten possibilities for why you may be sabotaging your job-search without even realizing it. Note that Bev is especially aware of the challenges facing twenty-somethings looking for work. So if you’re in that demographic, her observations will have double importance for you.

#10. You’re waiting for the ideal job to knock at your front door.

You have to realize that finding a good job-fit requires commitment and a willingness to drive the distance to get there. That “perfect” job won’t just show up! Never think for one minute that just knowing your giftedness is enough. While that helps you get a much clearer picture of the destination you’re trying to get to, you still have to work the job-search process to successfully arrive there.

#9. You’re working the job-search process only when you feel like it.

If you expect to find a job that works well for you, you need to get after it every day. Wake up in the morning as if you’re working at a full-time job for a company called You, Inc. The number-one priority of You, Inc. is: what must I do today to make my goal a reality? That perspective allows you to see the unmistakable connection between your diligence and the progress you make.

#8. You’re not meeting with people who could help you.

Research has shown that at any given moment you are only one or two degrees of separation away from a person who could open a door for you to a valuable work connection. But you have to put yourself in opportunity’s path, by doing informational interviews and then following up on promising leads, as well as continuously generating new contacts.

#7. You’re letting your past or current work status make you feel defeated.

Don’t define yourself by whether you currently have a job or not. God has intentionally placed you here and now for this very space and time. So the question you need to ask is: am I currently pursuing a path that is allowing the best of who I am to be seen and used well? To accept a life that involves less than that is to settle for mediocrity and a diminished vision. Yes, there may be many days in the job-search process when the needle doesn’t seem to budge. But don’t pay attention to that—pay attention to how far you’ve come.

#6. You’re thinking and/or acting as if you are an exceptional talent or special case. 

You cannot shortcut the job-search process. While undoubtedly there will be people around you who seem to just sprint to the finish or have a gilded path, you must be you and focus on taking responsibility for your life and your portion. You can’t expect the world to take you more seriously than you take yourself, nor can you ever expect anyone else to do your hard work for you. An appropriate sense of humility and gratitude communicates more powerfully than any words or résumé.

#5. You haven’t come to grips with the life traps that are holding you back.

It has been well said that a person can’t change what they don’t acknowledge. Whatever personal demons are blocking you from finding that great-fitting job, recognize them and be diligent about changing those defeating patterns. For instance, if you’re staying in a less-than-ideal place because it just seems (and feels) easier than doing the harder work of expecting and demanding more, realize that you are choosing that disappointing outcome. Or perhaps you’re allowing fear or diminished expectations to take over your thinking. In that case, challenge yourself to reset your mental dialogue. 

#4. You’re majoring in negative thinking, rather than positive effort.

Discouragement is inevitable in the job-search. Indeed, some days it may be all you see. But if you change the lens through which you’re looking at your situation, you can be reminded once again of the truth that brings encouragement—that you were made for this very space and time, a uniquely designed person with a contribution to make that no one else can make. Why waste another day on the sidelines of life as a spectator, when you can move toward the opportunity that has your name on it—the one that’s waiting for you to claim it?

#3. You’re not focused on where you’re headed.

Before you can make intentional movement toward meaningful work, you have to commit to a particular path. The process of de-ciding is critical to this step. That is, you must narrow your search to a manageable few options. Even though your giftedness likely suggests any number of possible career paths, you can only strategically go down one path at a time. That focus becomes impossible if too many options are in play. Without that sharpened vision, you’re liable to just wander around.

#2. You’ve foreclosed on too many options.

While focus is essential to a successful outcome, beware of the opposite extreme: boxing yourself into one, single concept that may not even be a viable option. Be careful to leave some alternatives if you don’t get accepted to a particular graduate program, for instance, or you seem to be hitting a wall in some chosen direction.

#1. You have yet to truly believe the “good truth” about you. 

You only get one singular life, and your giftedness is immutable. Good things will invariably happen when you follow the traces of your motivational pattern. That’s because you are literally blazing a trail of glory seen only in you, and needed in this world for this space and time. Don’t ever dismiss or devalue what you have to offer this world. It may take time and a concerted effort to express your value proposition convincingly, and where it will be celebrated and used well. But what in your life could be worth more than that?

Question: Can you think of any other factors that might be sabotaging your search for a great job-fit?

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