Happy St. Patrick's Day!
It’s not the green beer (which I don’t drink) or the seas (rivers, fountains, etc.) of green that I love. It’s the idea of luck. For me, there are two kinds of luck—the luck that’s forced upon us, and the luck we create.
Sometimes we are unlucky, and it’s out of our control.
I recently met a job seeker who lamented the time and energy spent on an application and resume, only to be ignored by the hiring company.
I could have replied in a number of ways, but I opted for being honest. Sometimes, we aren’t lucky, and it’s beyond our control.
He may have submitted an awesome resume; he may have been entirely qualified for the position.
But maybe the company had a strong internal candidate; maybe they closed the position. Who knows?
If you put your best foot forward (with a truly amazing targeted resume and a great LinkedIn® profile) and you don’t get the call, you may just have to accept that in this instance, you were unlucky.
The reality is there’s a lot of “bad luck” in the job search. It’s helpful and even healthy to accept that some factors are out of your control, no matter how much you wish they weren't. The good news is that there's a second kind of luck.
The luck you create.
I believe everything happens for a reason. The universe has a way of righting itself, and we have to accept the things we cannot change.
But I also believe we have to create our own luck, while accepting the potential bad luck that the universe (and the job market) thrusts upon us.
As a job seeker, what kind of luck are you creating for yourself?
Are you using the resources available to you?
Are you reaching out to your network and making your needs known?
Are you targeting every resume? Scanning LinkedIn® for the right keywords and opportunities? Researching the companies in which you are interested? Checking regularly for new opportunities? Do you have a job search plan?
In short, are you creating your own good luck?
Creating your own good luck requires that you take responsibility for the job search factors that are within your control. Once you know what those factors are, you do your best to ensure that they are as perfect as they can be.
If you believe you are in control of those factors and are not getting the call, we need to consider what bad luck you may be up against, or you may be in need of some help creating your own good luck.
If you feel like the universe is conspiring to deliver nothing but bad luck to your door, contact CASY or MSCCN, and let’s see how we can help you create some luck in your job search.
(Reprinted from the March 2016 MSEJ)