Are we there yet?
For many, a job search can be viewed as an inconvenient road trip. The new job is the destination, but the travelling may not as smooth as could be. There are delays, detours and an occasional breakdown, requiring repair. When things don’t go as expected, we sometimes want to channel our inner child and vent “Are we there yet?”
When faced with these frustrating times, it might be better to reflect on a quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson, who said “Life is a journey, not a destination.” Yes, we are anxious to get to our destination, and become gainfully re-employed. This is expected in our new and now culture. But, we may miss some valuable opportunities if we ignore the journey. Thinking back, my recent job search journey was peppered with wonderful roadside attractions.
Two quick examples of the value in the journey come to mind. One stop along the way resulted in a new friendship, simply because I offered to help a fellow job searcher with the design of her personal business cards. We remain close friends today, continuing to help each other in new ways.
A second opportunity arose when someone who offered to help me with my search, also sought some tech know-how, to help get the word out about an event he was hosting. The technical assistance later expanded to include pitching in to write creative copy — not my strong suit, to be sure. Still, this willingness to help where help is needed may have been the spark which lit the fire to write this blog. You never know?
In a follow-up post, I’ll detail some additional examples of people who successfully leveraged the journey of the job search for personal and professional development. For now, though, let me leave you with this challenge.
Think about others in the job search whom could benefit from your skills, and your help. Helping those in need may bring unexpected benefits to you and your job search as well.
Please be sure to loop back and let us know how you helped, and what resulted, by using the comment area below.