When you don't think you can win

You don’t think you can win and it is affecting everything you do. If you don’t think you can win a new job, it is very difficult to do. Perhaps you’ve heard the expression that your attitude affects your altitude and it is never truer than in job search.

In 30+ years of coaching job seekers and helping them write resumes, I recognize that the people who have the can win attitude are the ones who land the quickest with the best jobs.

How the Can Win attitude transforms your job search

One of the struggles that many job seekers have is that they keep listening to the wrong voices. There is so much conflicting information on the internet. If they blend in the advice from well-meaning family and friends, two things happen: they get confused and find themselves afraid to take the next step.

Sales isn’t very different. In sales, your sales trainer is constantly coaches you to accept the “no” and understand how every “no” gets you that much closer to a yes. When your next job is on the line, it is harder to understand the premise of accepting the “no” as necessary to move through the process.

Many job seekers put their job search all in the ATS (Applicant Tracking System) basket. They use the point and click strategy and hope that they will win the next role. While applying online is part of the journey and process, you must go one step further, you need to find a human to tell that you applied.

Reach out to higher level hiring managers

I read about a job search strategy suggesting that you should reach out to one level above the person that could hire you. It made sense to me. The reasoning was that the person above may know the bigger picture. By understanding the value of the individual applying to the company, they combine that with future plans for company expansion or growth. Many job seekers are afraid to contact anyone except maybe someone in human resources.

I work closely with corporate leaders such as Directors and Vice Presidents of Human Resources who hire me to help them with their job search. They affirm that while HR plays a role in hiring, people connected to the job area (information technology, sales, finance, logistics, engineering, retail management, and the executive suite) define what is needed to make the company work. Consequently, HR can’t be an expert in everything. Find the person who has a stake in the hiring the right person. Find the person who cares enough about the company success that they recognize your talent when they see it, then you can win your next job!

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