It didn’t take more than one or two falls before I learned one of life’s important lessons. That lesson applies today just as it did when I was 7 years old. “While swinging from bar-to bar on the gym set – don’t let go of one bar before you have a firm grip on the bar in front of you.” The same principal applies to JOB SEARCH – “While searching for a new job – don’t let go of the old job, if you can help it, before you are sure you have a firm offer from the next job.” As with the “monkey bars,” when you let go of the bar before you have a firm grasp on the next bar or ring, you will fall to the ground – and be unemployed. When you are searching for a new job, for whatever reason, you should think about applying the same principle.
You’re stressed, bored, burned out in your current job. It happens! So, you become disenchanted and de-motivated, for whatever reason. You make a decision that is time to leave. OK, but what’s your plan? Two things usually happen at this stage, you start coming in late, making mistakes, and your performance and attitude go downhill. It is difficult to job search while holding down a job – that’s a given. But, when you venture to let go of your current job without having another job to go to, you could become unemployed – and that is not good. A recruiter once told me, they called an unemployed person – “distressed merchandise.” You know those tables at the stores that are marked down because they didn’t sell well? Well, that’s “distressed merchandise.”
If you make the decision that you are going to leave your job – for whatever reason, be sure to have a plan and a goal in mind. First of all, have a good “heart-to-heart” talk with yourself, and convince yourself that you are going to get a grip, and you are going to change your negative attitude. When you know that something is “temporary” it is easier to get through the stress that is dragging you down. This won’t be easy, but is possible to pull off. Next, start networking, searching online, applying for the job “you really want.” A good exercise at this point is to do a values exercise. What do you want? Is it attainable, or will you have to get more education or training? Just remember, have the ring in sight and, if possible, a firm grip on your current ring before you let go of what you are holding on to. Do a quick check up on your values -Free Values Exercise – https://interviewcoach.com/valuesexercise.html
