Let me count the ways.  Am I my resume?  Am I a brand?  Am I desperately seeking someone to show me the way?  If you are as confused by how you should define who and what you represent to the job world, get in line.  Most people today don’t know whether they are defined by the accomplishments listed on their 3-page resume or the idea that they should somehow convince themselves they are a brand like any common household product! Knowing who you are is important of course, but knowing what you stand for when faced with your inevitable job search is essential.

Wondering what it would take to succeed in a time when so much is riding on your ability to survive? Nothing can stand in your way of getting what you want from your career than a little determination, a strong will and well, a mission to succeed at all costs. Finding your passion and sticking to it, no matter the odds, channels the way and allows a line of sight to appear out of a cloudy career path. Knowing that you will do what it takes to see it through to achieve your goal, whatever that may be, is the fighter instinct you need to develop in order to realize true success.  Do you have true grit to see it through and find the job you were meant to do?

Knowing when to put yourself on the line for what you believe in these days can be a precarious task.  Trusting yourself more than you trust your co-worker may be your first line of defense.  Finding your footing when you feel that every misstep may lead you closer to the front door all the while looking over your shoulder determining whom you should trust.  Speaking up for yourself when you feel slighted in the workplace is a gamble. There was a time when being vocal and expressing yourself was considered a true sign of your leadership and personal integrity.  Now you have to weigh the odds even when the top brass encourages you to “speak freely” under promises of providing an “open work environment.”  Not true.  When in doubt you have two choices: 1) Put up or, 2) Shut up.

You may have heard the phrase,"Greed is Good" as uttered by the money-broker tycoon in the 1987 hit movie “Wall Street”.   It was a phrase often used to chastise those who cherished materialism over core values. Hey, it was the ’80’s, there was a recession and the world was at war and wait, does this sound vaguely familiar?  Well, it very well may be like the ’80’s when you think of our current economy, but one thing is for certain when it comes to looking for a job and pulling out all the stops, let me just say one thing, "Greed is Good."

Remember when you felt secure and comfortable knowing that you were on the right career path, confident that the job you held was going to hold you long into retirement.  Well, wake up now, that dream was a good one while it lasted. There comes a time in everyone’s life where the dream and reality take a sharp contrasting turn. In the midst of this struggling economy, where you may find yourself without a job, wondering what you did wrong and if you could just do it over again you would have played your cards right.  Anything, so as you don’t have to look for another job again.   Breaking up is hard to do but going back to what wasn’t working is even harder still.

Sometimes you think you know how you come across to others but you don’t.  You may think you rock in your presentation skills, or present a cool and calm presence or think you are a superstar when it comes to nailing a job interview.  When was the last time you went on a job interview and what was the outcome?  I thought so!  If you’ve been pounding the pavement and think you are just doing fine networking your butt off then think again.  If no one has offered you a job or even given you a second look, chances are you are not the picture perfect job candidate you may think you are.

Making sense of the rules and regulations that govern every aspect of our lives, particularly how we work and whom we choose to work with, isn’t always a case of black and right.  You think there is a higher judge, a fairness police that sorts it all out, making the nimrods with jobs seem like the lucky ones when the rest of us need to struggle to survive the politics.  Not knowing which end is up is never easy. Not knowing which end is down is even harder.  When the rules of the game change and you seem to be lost in figuring it out, don’t sweat the small stuff, just change the rules.

Living life large may not have been in the cards for you when you accepted the job offer, but sometimes you feel that your survival depends on how well you can play the career game when the rules inevitably change over time.  It’s not just about keeping up anymore or doing a good job.  You have to be very astute and understand the hidden dynamics of any workplace environment whether you have your eye on the corner office or not.

Are you committing career suicide?  Setting yourself up for failure whether you intend to or not?  Stop sabotaging yourself and focus on how to help not hurt your career search efforts.

Frustrated about your job search?  Ready to kick not only the tires?  It's OK, to get angry if you are not moving in the right direction.  Just remember to vent, release and move on...