Have you ever thought of job-seeking as a gift? Most likely not! I want to challenge your way of thinking!
The Gift of Job-Seeking
The Christmas season is a time to reflect upon the gifts in our lives. Last December I shared three ways my career journey ironically ended up being a gift to me. This December I'm continuing that theme.
The holiday season can cause job seekers to feel the sting of unemployment more deeply. Have you ever thought of job-seeking as a gift? Most likely not! I want to challenge your way of thinking by presenting three more ways career transition was a gift in my life...
1. Job-seeking made me empathetic. Before I had to navigate my career journey, I thought I was empathetic toward others. Little did I know how far-removed I was from feeling true compassion. My career journey gave me a new, experiential level of compassion.
The hardships of…
- Asking for help
- Losing my work "family"
- Feeling isolated
gave me strength to…
- Accept others' help!
- Create a new social network.
- Look outside myself.
Allow the process to make you a compassionate person.
2. Job-seeking taught me how to be creative. I learned early on in my search that I wouldn't earn a job by filling out endless online job applications. Instead, I had to get to work OUTSIDE of my house!
The hardships of…
- Feeling invisible
- Realizing I would not return to my former setting
- Losing my social identity
actually helped me…
- Make myself more real and apparent to others.
- Reinvent myself into a new kind of professional.
- Find ways to put my skillsets to work in a new setting.
Do something "outside the box" every day.
3. Job-seeking made me more flexible. Before my career journey, I felt very much in control of my life and my destination. My ducks were in a row. However, my career journey forced me to give up much of that control and rely on my faith, family, and friends. I had to learn to accept the unknown on a daily basis.
The hardships of…
- A lack of professional security
- Missing my regular full-time work schedule
- A lack of financial security
made me…
- Research new, exciting opportunities.
- Create a new schedule full of research and networking.
- More frugal.
Accept the fact that you are in a new season in your life and be open to new possibilities!
This season of transition in your life will change. While you are navigating the obstacles this pathway entails, take some time to reflect upon the gifts that have made you who you are. Focusing on the positive aspects of your life will give you a brand new appreciation for life in general. And once again, you may end up discovering that job-seeking can actually be a gift.
Now…consider ways to pass on your gifts to others!
