I was excited to be interviewed for this article in the University of Phoenix magazine, Staying motivated during a job search. We had a great conversation about staying positive in your job search, and it made me think about some additional advice I wanted to give to you about your job search.
First I liked the quote in the article about explicit feedback. When we don’t get specific feedback about what we’re doing, we naturally make things up, and unfortunately they usually are bad things or things we will use to beat ourselves up. I advise clients to ask for that specific feedback from interviewers with whom they didn’t get the job, with networking contacts, and with friends and family. I have clients do this as well to define their talents and skills that they discount. You can use this same advice for getting feedback about how you’re coming across in your job search and in interviews. Don’t be afraid to ask. The worst they can do is ignore you and not answer, say no they can’t give you input, or provide you with negative input that in the moment is hard to hear.
Wouldn’t you rather know than make something up? Wouldn’t you prefer to get feedback in order to use it productively for the next interview or interaction? No matter how hard it is to hear, input can be an invaluable part of our learning and growing process. So don’t be afraid to ask for you. Shore yourself up mentally if you need to, and speak up!
Hallie Crawford
Job Search Coach
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