If it isn't working, change it!

“If you always do what you always did, you will always get what you always got.”


Job hunting in this market, it’s grueling, a true beast. I know a few college grads who are fully competent, talented, hard-working and in need of a break. They spend hours diligently combing through job sites, uploading carefully crafted versions of their resumes to companies, completing online resume builders over and over again only to sit in eerie silence for weeks, months, waiting for someone, anyone, to call with that thrilling news that they’ve been selected as a candidate for an interview. Something is obviously wrong with them, they start to think, allowing the betrayal of depressing thoughts to seep in to their once determined mindsets.


So what is going on here for these bright college grads? Why are some more fortunate than others in their pursuits? Some might argue it’s luck, but I think it has more to do with shaking off old habits and packing on new ones. In other words, if it isn’t working one way, sometimes, you have to get out of the confines of the box you’ve built around you and try a new approach. If you want to be a writer, then write. No need to wait for someone to offer you a job to do that. Lots of organizations need writers. Latch onto one that piques your interest, and write for them for free. If you show interest, someone’s eventually going to take note. This is true whether you want to be a writer, computer programmer, personal assistant, designer, or an event planner. Take control of your future. Gain that experience and move forward instead of fighting to stand still. Plant now, harvest later. You might be surprised how much those seeds will grow.


Personally, I think front doors are overrated. Seek another way in and watch how carefully the welcome mat gets placed for you.