How to smooth out a bumpy job search process

 The job search process can feel like a roller coaster. 

One minute you are riding high with a pipeline full and interview rounds and the next you are turned upside down starting the whole process over with a blank slate. Sound familiar?

The truth is, if it’s been awhile since you last went through a search, it can take a couple of reps until you truly get clear on what you want, and in turn find your rhythm. 

Here’s how you can smooth out the ride:

1. Reframe the job search process as an opportunity to fine tune, learn and discover. Simply shifting your lens from “I have to do this” to “I get to do this,” can make a huge difference in your overall outlook.
2. Expand the short list from dream companies to dream opportunities. Often, my clients have a single dream company in mind, only to be disheartened if it doesn’t work out. Expanding the opportunity set to focus on what you want to accomplish across a number of different organizations minimizes concentration and risk in only a single place where you can have impact.
3. Invest in a career coach to help you stay focused and on track. Too often, a rejection can lead to dark days and worse weeks of swinging between inactivity to frantic job posting. Good coaches are invested in your outcome and can pull you back from the volatility and back into action.

At the end of the day, the job search process can be one riddled with volatility, or one that builds on iterative learning, discovery and growth.

Which one do you choose?