90% of the time, YOU are the one who determines whether you find a job or not. If you disagree, hear me out first. Job search is mostly dependent on your effort and finding job opportunities, ,whether remote, local or global depends on the ratio of your good traits to toxic traits.
You know that song that went viral not too long ago; the “who dig this pit for me?” song? What if it’s you? Don’t worry, we are all in this together somehow.
It’s like when your mother calls you to remind you about the thing you said you would do, even though your mind has been reminding you about it since. It’s annoying because you know you’re wrong, but hearing another person say it makes you feel guilty. Job search and so many other things in life are like that. It could be anything, from waiting to revamp your CV or something else that is crucial to finding a job in your location. The good part of this is that you know and have the power to change it yourself.
So today, call yourself out. Check which of these traits have been keeping you from finding the job opportunities you want or even the job itself.
Table of Contents
Procrastination (“I Will Do It Later”)
Put a finger down if you’re on this table. You know you need to update your portfolio from the 2021 version, but you keep telling yourself, “I will do it when I have time”. Time is a tricky thing. It looks abundant, but these days, time is so limited.
When you postpone the things you need to do when you need to do them, you steal from yourself (Wow! I should copyright that. So deep!).
When you postpone revamping your CV because you want to quickly apply for a new job opening, you reduce your chances for that job and others to come.
When you postpone creating your job alert because you want to relax for 30 mins and scroll on Instagram, you miss out on the job opportunities that are flying around now.
What are you doing that is more important than your future? The worst part is that you know you’re procrastinating.
Call yourself out (Don’t worry, we’re many on this table and we WILL do better).
Action Point(s): Report yourself to a friend or family member or mentor that will hold you accountable to do the thing. Or just do the thing NOW. (Yes, pause this article and do the thing).
Pride (“How Can I Do This? It’s Beneath Me”)
…Or even, “how can I ask my colleague for help when I have more years of experience than they?” Several variations of pride could be hurting your job search. Let’s list some of them.
- When you think you’re above a certain job level because of your age or qualifications, even when you lack the skills (This is giving main character energy in a bad way).
- When you think you should not be job hunting rather jobs should be hunting you because you’re “hot cake” even when you don’t have the visibility or Nepo support.
- When you refuse to take foundational training courses like some of our Jobberman Courses because you believe you’re not an entry-level jobseeker, even though you need those skills and certificates.
Good pride is automating your job search so that you make good use of your time for other pursuits (like taking courses).
Action point(s): Ask that colleague for advice today. Create your job alert. Take those “entry-level” courses that will equip you with the skills missing in your skillset and CV.
Poor People Skills (Aka Bad Character)
Yes! Poor people skills can affect your job search too. How? If you don’t relate well with people at your current place of work or anywhere else, many people would not be willing to share information about job openings or job search aids like this blog post with you. Even worse, they may never refer you for roles. And we all know that referrals are real for both those with connections and those without it.
So, if you’re rude, snobbish, insubordinate, proud, manipulative and all those extras, it could be keeping you from juicy job opportunities. In general, emotional intelligence is an important skill that could place you in your next high-paying job.
Action Point(s): Call yourself out. Ask close friends if there are traits you need to work on. Take the Jobberman Soft Skills Course too. It will open your eyes to areas in which you need to improve.
To Wrap Up
In addition to auditing your CV, portfolio and all the paraphernalia you need to find better jobs, audit yourself. Are there little traits that are affecting your job search? Is it procrastination, pride or poor people skills? When you find out, fix them with the action points suggested. Besides, kudos to you for acknowledging where you need to grow. It shows a sense of agency and willingness to grow.
Whatever the case may be, you will make more progress if you automate your job search. Create Your Job Alert in less than 5 minutes and see how long it will take to start getting interviews.
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