5 attitudes that lead to job search failure
Long Island’s unemployment rate held steady at 7.8 percent in January. Job seekers attend a job fair at the Melville Marriott. (Feb. 23, 2012) Credit: Photo by Jeremy Bales
Your attitude can make or break your job search. Having a bad attitude -- whether that means you no longer care enough to put effort into your applications or you think no one is ever going to hire you -- is one of the fastest ways to fail in your job search. Having a good attitude, on the other hand, can help your cause as much as a bad one can hurt it.
"Attitude is vitally important in a job search, because it's the one thing out of the entire process you can control," says Dave Sanford, senior vice president of business development at Winter, Wyman, a Boston-based staffing firm. "You can't control if and when someone is going to call you back, or if the person liked you or what the economy is going to be like, but you can control your attitude and how you conduct yourself throughout the process."
"A negative attitude can lead to job-search failure right from the start," Sanford says. "If you are sitting in the room anticipating the end of the play before the first act, it can be a self-fulfilling prophecy. So that's where you have to pump yourself up and not go down the negative road."
"Think about the way you ask for help, for example." Sanford says. "Stay away from, 'I know you don't have time for me...' and instead say, 'I have a lot to offer and would love to be able to share what I know and what I can do with you.'"
Your attitude signals your mindset, values and possible behavior in the workplace, says Ginny Clarke, president and CEO of Chicago-based Talent Optimization Partners and author of "Career Mapping: Charting Your Course in the New World of Work." "Someone who says, 'When is something going to fall into my lap?' for example, likely has a big ego, is arrogant and lacks self-awareness. These tendencies make someone hard to manage and an ineffective leader."
"The job-search process inherently comes with ups and downs," Sanford concludes. "Moments of excitement and anticipation blended with feeling defeated and beaten down. It's crucial that job seekers do everything they can to keep the negativity of the process from affecting their attitudes and overtaking the job search. If negativity starts seeping into your game, and you start to feel defeated and hopeless, the hiring manager will see and sense the baggage and will likely pass. They want someone who is positive and upbeat; someone who says, 'Give me the ball and let me run through the line.'"
