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Does Attitude Impact Your Job Search?

You’ve looked for a job for the last few months with little success. Maybe a few nibbles, but it’s gotten harder and harder to keep a positive outlook as multiple resumes and cover letters yield a variety of “thanks, but no thanks.” As a result, the last time you went out for an evening with friends, when one asked the seemingly innocuous question about the job search, you responded, “Not great. When it changes, I’ll let you know.” This abruptly shut down the conversation (and the suggestion that one of them was about to make about an opportunity she knew of).

As you search for a job, it may sometimes seem daunting, and if you’ve looked for a while, your optimism may have taken a bit of a nosedive. But know that a positive attitude can, indeed, impact your job search for the better.

  • It affects your follow-through. Naturally, when you get rejected multiple times, you begin to feel negatively about getting up every day and slogging through another round of internet searches, refinements of a cover letter and checking that resume one more time to see what adjustments or mistakes need to be tended to. So, you begin to procrastinate, missing opportunities because you simply cannot go through it again. If you start to get in this frame of mind, switch it up. Look at what else you can do: Can you network with someone through a fellow connection in person or on LinkedIn? Follow up on leads? Find a class that might help improve your skills? Get yourself out of the rut of procrastination by looking at a new way to search.
  • It affects your application and resume. Sometimes a positive attitude is all about perception. When you write your resume and cover letter, you may unwittingly use phrases that bring yourself down. For example, instead of writing “I learned about the position with XYZ Company and know my experience and background make me an excellent candidate for the position,” you write, “I learned about the position with XYZ Company, and I think I would be a good fit.” Even using know instead of think shows a difference in confidence and positivity. Strong, positive language can make a difference to anyone reading about you.
  • It affects your interview. If you walk into an interview nervous you might not get it, worried you won’t have the requirements they need, it will subconsciously show in your body language and the language you use to describe yourself. Enter with your head held high (literally), look everyone in the eye, have a firm handshake — all those little tricks help. Put a positive spin on things. For example, when asked why you left your previous job, instead of saying, “I’m not sure. I just didn’t feel like it was the right fit,” try, “I felt that I had done all I could within the position and wanted a new challenge. This position will do just that.”

Your attitude will not only help your job search, it will help you land the job because employers want to work with employees who have a positive outlook. For advice on attitude and finding your next job, reach out to the staffing professionals at PrideStaff Thousand Oaks Ventura County.

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