Attitude is Everything
A Tale of Two Job Seekers – One
Failed, One Succeeded, Both Were Brilliant
Dave was an attorney with a big law firm. His dream was to
move into a corporate counsel role with a big corporation. When he
first hired me to write his resume, he spent a lot of time telling
me about how underappreciated he was at his current firm.
When we would brainstorm ideas on how he could transition into
his chosen industry, he constantly repeated that he “already
tried that.” In fact, Dave spent a lot of time shooting down
most ideas I knew would help him tremendously.
When we talked about job search strategies, he shared with me
that he didn’t have any time. “Surely you
understand,” he would say.” I am an attorney and I work
incredibly long hours. Plus I have a family.”
When we discussed his salary goals he said he had to make at
least 30% more than what he currently made to “justify the
move.”
When I asked him why he had been fired from his last position
he said that he and one of the partners could not get along. He
refused to elaborate.
Despite the building complexities Dave was creating for
himself, he maintained he wanted to be in a new position in less
that 60 days. When I attempted to share with Dave that it appeared
that he was neither ready nor willing to do what it would take to
move forward, he simply ignored my comments.
Dave never did make his corporate counsel move. He took a job
with another firm… A job that a recruiter had called to pitch
him over the phone. It was the first and only opportunity Dave ever
explored.
The story above illustrates how brilliant professionals can
undermine their own career progress through not taking
responsibility for their job search goals.
And then there was Brian.
Brian hired me as a career coach during a major transition in
his life. He drove all the way from Houston to San Antonio to meet
with me in person and discuss his situation.
He was a SVP for a mid size company in Houston and he was
really ready for a CMO position with a large firm. He had done his
research and picked two industries he was interested in exploring
further.
He knew he had one chance to make a great first impression and
he wanted to do it right. He wanted help researching particular
companies, identifying what job search strategies would give him
the most leverage and he wanted to make sure his resume was written
to best position him for a CMO title.
I will always remember how positive Brian was. He always
seemed to see the glass as half full. He took responsibility for
his ultimate success and he stayed focused on the strategies I
showed him to get quality interviews. He knew the power of a team
approach.
Brian was busy and had a family too, but he made his career
transition a priority during that window of time.
He landed several high quality interviews and accepted an
offer from a company he was truly excited about – at the
compensation level that met his goals. It didn’t happen
overnight, but it did happen within four months of our working
together.
One of his goals was to work out of his home one day per week.
With the coaching I gave him, he successfully negotiated this into
his compensation package.
Brian invested in himself and in his career move because as he
put it, he knew that "for every $100 he put in, he would get $1000
back.”
Brian was willing to listen. That was not true for Dave.
Being “successful” has so much to do with
one’s mindset. And coupled with an industry expert’s
guidance, moving forward happens much more quickly and
easily.
So if you want to get yourself and your job search
“unstuck,” it’s a wise move to first make sure
you are committed to doing what it takes to reach your goals
before you hire a career coach or resume
writer. However once you are certain about your commitment to your
own success, these partnerships can make getting there faster and
easier and your confidence, clarity and motivation will soar.
© 2010
