Generally, in society, we are programmed to want approval, acceptance, the ‘yes’ instead of the ‘no’.
And the job search is one of those places where you typically want the ‘yes’ even more than usual. So much so that it drives everything you do, and you end up putting a huge amount of pressure on yourself to get that yes.
If you’re the person who is motivated by that level of pressure, then great. Embrace it and move forward.
If, however, you’re like me and the pressure tends to make you freeze or you suddenly find some other, much easier tasks to do, then you need a different approach.
You need to chase the ‘no’.
Chasing the no, rather than worrying about the yes, will help in a few different ways.
It releases you from all that pressure. Getting no’s is easy, so you should have no problems.
It encourages you to act. If you’re chasing the no then why not apply for that job, or make that phone call - they’re only going to say no, so go for it!
It helps maintain morale. If you get lots of nos when you want a yes, it doesn’t take long to feel fed-up and frustrated. But getting a no when you want a no is encouraging and empowering!
Lastly, you can have a bit of fun with it. Set yourself the target of 5 no’s a day, and then reward yourself when you achieve it, and then with something a bit nicer if you get 25 in a week.
Obviously, don’t lose sight of the fact that you do, ultimately, want a yes, so don’t go turning down your dream job just to get the 25th no of the week! The point of this approach is to take those negatives and turn them into motivators.
And trust me when I say it works, it helped get The Returners’ Tribe off the ground!
Embrace it and you’ll start seeing the benefits very quickly indeed.
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