How does your career compare to your plumbing?

Careers and plumbing? We don’t much think about our plumbing. Unless it doesn’t work, then we notice that something is wrong.

You know how it is. If the water is running out of the tap, the shower gets you clean, and the toilet flushes, you don’t notice your plumbing. But if the sink backs up or the toilet overflows or your shower doesn’t drain, you notice your plumbing.

Not long ago, my bathroom sink backed up all the time. I put vinegar and baking soda in it, plunged it, even had one of my sons take the trap apart and clean the exit pipe. But nothing changed. The problem was deeper in my plumbing.

Finally, we called Ric’s Sewer Service and Ric came to clean out the pipes in the basement downstairs from the bathroom. The problem wasn’t at the surface, it was a build-up clog in the line.

Ric reminded me to use baking soda and vinegar monthly in every drain and let it sit over night. I knew that but I don’t do it. When the plumbing works, I don’t need to worry about it.

Most people treat their careers like I do my plumbing

They don’t worry about it until there’s a problem. Only then they scramble to find a solution and like I did, they try the do-it-yourself solution first. Ric’s bill was very reasonable. But I didn’t want to invest until there was no easy solution.

Why plumbing and your career are alike

I don’t really understand plumbing. Most job seekers don’t really understand job search or resumes or LinkedIn. But they do it themselves and wonder why they aren’t getting results.

This week a client I have worked with for a month came in to tell me she lost her job. After we talked about it, I reminded her that at least she had the foresight to hire me before the job ended.

Many people struggle alone first even after they lost their job because they either don’t know help is out there or they think they can do it themselves. In the process, they lose valuable time.

The wise job seeker knows that no job is forever and takes steps to make sure they are ready if their career breaks. Are you ready? click here to tell me about your job search needs.