I love Thanksgiving. Hands down my favorite holiday of the year. For me, it always seems like the work world slows down and fades into the background for a few days. Almost everyone takes a break to focus on friends and family. In addition to the quote above, this second quote from John F. Kennedy pretty much sums up the holiday for me:
“We must find time to stop and thank the people who make a difference in our lives.”
At some point over the Thanksgiving break, I find a little time to reflect on my good fortune and those people, places, and things that have contributed to the quality of my life over the past year.
If you are in the middle of a long and frustrating job search, you might be inclined to view the Thanksgiving holiday as another challenging milepost. Months into the search process and not enough interviews and no job offers. Facing the extended upcoming holiday season with no opportunities on the horizon can be anything but motivating.
But I want to challenge you to take a more positive view this Thanksgiving. Be thankful for what you have completed in your job search to date and additionally what you can build on in the future.
For example, you can be thankful for:
The active members of your professional network. The ones that understand your value proposition and are solidly in your corner. Network quality matters but so does quantity. Keep networking until you have at least 150 active and engaged contacts in your very targeted job search network.
The mentors and managers that have given of themselves to help counsel and guide your career. Over the course of my career, I found that my mentors came in all shapes and sizes. Older and younger. Males and females. In my company and outside of my industry. If you don't have a mentor yet, make the time investment and go find one. The job search road is always better traveled when you have a mentor to help light the way.
You may not have everything you need for your job search right now, but all is not lost. You can do the work to make the necessary changes. Come next Thanksgiving, your harvest will be plentiful with much on your plate for which to give thanks.
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Dan Troup is the Managing Director of the AdvantEdge Careers coaching service. If you are interested in learning more about how a job search expert and certified career coach can assist you, please contact AdvantEdge Careers for a free initial consultation.
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