The Determined vs. Disbelieving Job Seeker: Which are you?
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With a difficult job market and an overqualified applicant pool, it is becoming increasingly common for people to seek job search guidance with the hopes of landing a position. The importance of standing out to a potential employer, has led many job seekers to admit they need outside help. Enter career coaches!



I have been blessed to work with many students and alumni as a career coach. The variety of hopes and dreams that are shared are inspirational, but has also provided some clear insight into the types of job seekers that exist, and the types that are often the most successful in achieving their dream. There are the Determined job seekers, and then there are the Disbelieving job seekers. Let me explain a bit about each.



Determined: This type of job seeker is motivated, open to suggestions, and are ready to take action (even if they are nervous, fearful or gasp- don’t believe it will work) towards their ultimate career goal. If certain strategies are not effective, they are willing to try new alternatives. They are open to new ideas regarding their application materials (i.e. cover letter and resume) since they recognize their current strategy is not paying dividends. They are forthcoming with information and return for additional guidance when the original strategies did not work. While these job seekers do experience frustration with the process, they focus on the end goal, but most importantly- they don’t give up.



Disbelieving: Job seekers in this category believe they are motivated and determined, but in fact much of their behavior demonstrates quite the contrary. This group may momentarily step out of their comfort zone (reaching out for help once, trying a new job board, etc.), though if results are not immediate or meeting their expectations, the approach is discarded without any intention of trying it again. A common tone is pessimism and defeatism (which is not surprising when one has been searching for a position for months or even years). When presented with new ideas and tactics for the job search or suggestions for improving application materials, the uncertain job seeker tends to hesitate, respond with a cynical attitude, or even refuse the suggestions. For anyone who has an honest desire to help someone, this makes it very difficult. As a career coach, I can say this makes it nearly impossible to identify if the job seeker is really committed to the work involved.



With that being said, one important thing I have learned while serving within the career services field is that searching for jobs requires substantial effort. As career coaches we can ensure job application documents are neatly packaged and compelling, help applicants in better understanding the job application process, and share guidance on how to tailor resumes to specific job vacancy announcements. Though motivation and optimism have to come from within, and while we can stress the importance of these traits, they are not something we can impart!



If you have fallen victim to any of the things mentioned, it is important to take inventory of yourself to determine where you are at. You must identify if you truly are ready to do whatever it takes to land a position. Blogger J.T. O’Donnell echoes some of my sentiments about the coaching process. I encourage you to read one of her recent entries titled, “Are You Coachable?,” for further self-evaluation.