Would you like career growth with that promotion?  Much like a mad dash through the drive-through at your local fast food, your job search can take on a strange twist as the employment situation looks bleak and competition takes center stage.  Not sure whether you are choosing large fries with that combo? Your job search offers the same challenges as it relates to whether you truly know what you want from your next career move from what you think you want.  How do you know when it’s time to choose?  Feeling pressured about your job search not knowing whether you asked for special sauce on the side? When your job search resembles an In & Out Burger, how do you keep your job order straight and make sure you end up with what you want vs. what someone else ordered for you?

Having the common sense to know how to properly lay out your professional background without relying on a template you’ve pulled off the internet, is going to save you a lot of time and aggravation in the long run when it comes to writing a smart, concise and relevant resume-even if at times you feel like no one is reading it!

Knowing what you want from your career and thinking you know what you want, is the difference between saying you want to get married but never going on any dates. When you struggle with what you think you want from your next job because you are convinced that you just need to work, you do yourself a dis-service by not following what is truly in your heart from what’s pounding around in your head.  The pressure is on that is without question. Even though it looked like the economy was picking up the first half of the year to suddenly feeling like things have fallen off a cliff again, it’s easy to switch into panic-mode.  With unemployment benefits being extended to 99 weeks, it fuels the fires of doubt where it appears even the President is not confident in a job recovery anytime soon. Next time you find yourself ready to jump off a cliff because you just, “need to work” ask yourself, do you really know what you want?

It’s never too late to begin your job search BEFORE you graduate!  You may be thinking I have MONTHS to decide where I’m going to work.  Guess again.  If you are only thinking about this now, you are actually very LATE FOR YOUR IMPORTANT JOB DATE!  It’s not that I want to pressure you or anything, and it’s not like you don’t have enough pressure from mom or dad who are wondering when you’ll get off their payroll and onto your own!  It’s not that we don’t love you but, you really do need to get in gear if you are thinking you are going to want to do more than hit the movies, video game stores or soak it up on the beach come May or June.

We all like to be right.  Some like it for the sake of being right as others like to just make a point.  When you are on a job interview or perhaps when you are presenting to a client, you may not always see eye to eye. It’s okay to disagree because guess what, despite what you may have heard, the client isn’t ALWAYS right.  It may be hard to put yourself in a position where you have to argue your case, especially if you are on a job interview, but knowing where you stand and what you stand for depends upon how secure you are in your beliefs.  It might be nice to placate your client but in some cases, realizing you know best and following your instincts may be your best defense.

Like a car that changes shape as it picks up speed, your job, can change shape, accelerate or derail just as quickly.  The only difference is you are in the driver’s seat and are able to defend your right to pursue the career you were meant to lead. Having faith in yourself and in your ability to know what you are good at and what talents, skills and tools you have to contribute will help you know whether you are living your dream or are in need of a transformation.

Just like the dead-air you get when your cell phone reception fails, and you utter the same phrase like a mantra at least 20 times before you realize no one is listening, your job search can feel like that sometimes, when you recant the same phrase over and over again, “Can You Hear Me?”  Getting discouraged, frustrated, annoyed and downright fed-up with the lack of response, follow through and in some cases common courtesy, is unfortunately a routine part of the job search these days.  There is no accounting for poor manners when you can’t expect to even get a response back to the tune of “We’re not interested.” When your emails, voicemails and even FaceBook requests go unanswered, all you ever seem to want to ask is, “Can you hear me?”

So which ride will you choose?  Roller-coasters, ferris wheels, merry-go-rounds, when your job search resembles the ups and downs, the thrills and spills of a carnival amusement park, do you ever stop & think, one more time around or is it time to get off?

Knowing when to make a left when you are going right, or to turn when the road seems to bend out of nowhere enables you to right the course of change when you come to a career crossroad in your search for the perfect job. Given the experience of sudden turns, bumps, changes in the terrain helps you to focus on staying the course even if you are not always sure where you are headed. It’s not as important to always have a clear vision of where your career is headed.  It is important however to manage the obstacles, challenges, opportunities and gifts you come to find along the way.

You may be a high-ranking executive, or someone who is still working his or her way up the corporate ladder, or perhaps you are just trying to break into the business.  Wherever your position on the career chain, you may now or in the future be in a position where you have to navigate the politics of your work environment. Knowing how to maneuver in a complicated system holds the same challenges whether you are a veteran or a newbie in the business.  If you are figuring out your next career move within your own company, or exploring what opportunities might lie elsewhere, remember that wherever you may roam the politically savvy attributes you hone will come in handy along the way.