Be positive about finding the next job.

 Ever see a kid opening presents on Christmas morning – they are full of excitement about the presents under the tree. I remember the first Christmas that my daughter was cognoscente of Christmas presents. She was jumping and shaking and carrying on about Santa and the Tree. “Hurry, hurry, hurry Daddy Santa came!”

She didn’t know what was under the wrapping paper, but she was sure it was just what she wanted. She had a positive idea and visualized the end result. This is the perfect attitude for people in job search. Have a positive idea of the job you want. Visualize it with an expectation of when it will happen. Will that make it happen? I don’t know; some folks believe that we all have the ability to attract to us the things that happen in our lives. They call it the secret. Others are convinced that prayer is all important. “Ask you and you will receive…

I won’t go as far as to tell you how or what to believe, but I am willing to tell you that you need a positive attitude for a successful job search. From Zig Ziggler to Denis Waitley, to Tony Robbins, they all agree that you’ll only hurt yourself if you have a negative, defeatist attitude. In fact, I think you will lose out all together if you attitude is full of doubt and misgivings. If two people are interviewing and one of them is a negative, sad sack and the other is upbeat and positive, who am I going to like better? Who am I more likely to hire?

Is there more to it than that? Nope! If you are depressed and down in the interview you’re going to lose. I’ve heard people in job transition say, “Why bother, no one is hiring, I heard it just the other night on the evening news!” Instead of the news, listen to positive things, inspiring music, PMA recordings, read up lifting books; anything to overcome the negative messages out there. Job search requires you to be and stay positive.

      I heard a speaker once tell the audience that a person in transition has to have the enthusiasm of a puppy when the doorbell rings. Anyone who has a dog will tell you that anytime the doorbell rings the dog takes off running for the door. It’s as if whoever rang the bell is there for them. No matter how many times the doorbell rings the puppy is just as enthusiastic as the first time. Even when the puppy is old and doesn’t move so fast, if the doorbell rings the dog takes off for the door.

           This is the attitude everyone in job search needs to maintain. Every contact, every networking event, every job lead is going to turn into an offer for your next job. Then, just maybe when the doorbell rings it will be someone with the perfect job lead.