Think the world revolves around you?
Do you think the world revolves around you? It is easy to get caught up in how the world seems to us at the minute. But our perspective is challenged by how we perceive that world.
If I learned anything this last year, I learned that things I take for granted are not quite what I thought they were. Talking to clients, friends, colleagues, and business associates throughout the world has opened my eyes to how often I take things for granted.
We often think in terms of what time it is wherever we are.
When you work with people in multiple time zones, we must continually think of their time zone as well as our own. I just set an appointment with a client for tomorrow morning my time, which is 4pm her time. She’s in France where they are more likely to think in terms of 24 hour clocks, so that is 16:00.
Temperatures differ too.
I think in terms of Fahrenheit but many of the people I am talking to on Twitter think in terms of Celsius. There is a huge difference in the way those are calculated. My temperature is 12 F today, which is equivalent to minus 11C. In Wisconsin, our winter temperatures can easily reach minus 20F with wind chills equivalent to minus 40F or more. Brrrr….
Sometimes job seekers think this way about job search too.
The job seeker gets mad when no one returns an e-mail or sends a letter to let us know about our status in a job. But in reality, today the ball needs to be in your court.
Never tell a prospect “I look forward to hearing back from you,” which puts the ball in their court. They can (and frequently do) drop the ball, leaving you with nothing.
You can read the rest of that post here. It was prompted by a tip from Michael Lunsford. The point is you can’t expect the world to revolve around you. Our viewpoints are skewed by the perspective we bring to the table.
Your goal in your job search, career, or business is to change that focus.
Instead of thinking the world revolves around you, try a larger view to understand all of the possible factors affecting whatever bothers you.
At that point, when you factor in other viewpoints and become proactive in seeking solutions, you start getting results with your job search, career change, or productivity.
If you would like help on your journey, simply click here.
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Julie Walraven
Professional Resume Writer
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You may be halfway across the country or the world. When you work with me, we share coffee, laughs, and concerns. This turns the scary job search into creative, consultative writing and learning sessions.
So true, Julie! When one internalizes events and actions/inactions, it’s very easy to make assumptions and jump to conclusions. In managing one’s career, it’s critical to keep the other person’s point of view in mind. It helps with networking, with crafting a cover letter, with interviewing, and with being a valuable employee because the time has been taken to consider what someone else thinks.
Thanks for stopping by, Melissa! You are so right. I see many people stopped dead in their tracks because they spend so much time being angry about what they think is going on and a little bit of pro-activity on their end would cure it.
What a great exploration of that phrase, Julie! I completely agree: one has to keep the ball in one’s own court as often as possible!
Thanks, Ed! As I said to Melissa, I have heard so many rants about employers not getting back to people when in reality the job seeker has not even tried to make a contact. Yet I have clients getting interviews and new positions all the time. Some fields lend themselves to more openings than others.
Julie – This is a concept I’ve tried to drill into job seekers for quite some time now. You are not the only job seeker, don’t expect a recruiter/hiring manager to cater to you. Take the reigns in your job search and think of others.
Great post!
Thanks for stopping by, Jennifer! It is good to hear from the other side of the job search. With sometimes thousands of people applying to the same position, they really need to think about making sure that they position themselves well and then work on connecting.
True enough… proactive… I’d stay away from pushy