Positive Attitude in Job Search (part 1)

Is Life Better With Feathered Underwear?

I like Zig Ziggler when he says, “Anything you can do; you can do better with a positive attitude.” If you are doing a job search this is a very important point. Years ago when I was in job transition a fellow asked me how I kept a positive attitude. I replied, “I wear feathered underwear.” He became upset by what he considered a flippant answer and said, “Fine if you don’t want to tell me, fine!”

The easy answer is I choose to. What’s the alternative? I have more energy with a positive attitude than I do with a “stinkin’ thinking’ attitude.” I remember something a QA Manager who I worked with once told her team: “We interview for our jobs everyday, in the work we do, the results we produce and the attitude we bring to the job.”

How can I top that?

A friend of mine, Joy Maguire-Dooley has a voicemail greeting that says positive attitudes are infectious. I realize that I may be influencing a future job lead with my positive attitude today.

There is an old sales adage that goes something like; people do business with people they like. I think this is even truer with job search. People hire people they like. So much has been written on the importance in making a good first impression.

Ask yourself: if a hiring manager has three people to choose from, who are they going to hire? The person they like best… the person they feel will be the best fit for their team. This is why I suggest to my clients to wear feathered underwear and always have a smile on your face.

Smile, have a positive attitude and help people like you. The feathered underwear is really optional.