If you feel like a hopeful nominee, a reluctant runner up or a cocky winner, stand in line because your job search is a far cry from the glitz and glamour of The Oscars. You may feel like you have to dress the part or at least give good face to the crowds who are cheering you on.  But, inside your stomach churns in tangled nervous knots and you wonder how you got here and whether being in the job spotlight is such a good thing.  Having the feeling that every interview is like the opening of a gold envelope and that all you have to do is sit, smile and wait-makes the process maddening at best and at the very least, glad you don’t have to give the red carpet a whirl.

You may be at this job search thing for so long you are beginning to believe the stories they might be saying about you. Maybe they tell you that you are over qualified? Maybe they think you are asking for too much? Or, it could be that you just might be out of the game for so long you’ve lost your appeal along with your confidence? Others may see you as yesterday’s news but you are wondering if in fact your job search and all that it entails has become the stuff urban legends are made of?

It’s what you tell yourself when things are not going your way and when every job interview turns into a form of rejection.  It’s what you want to believe because it’s easier sometimes to feel sorry for yourself instead of maybe doing something about it.  It’s how you feel when you hear over and again how others are getting the coveted job offers and you are still wondering why you can’t lock down an interview.

Your job search is an adventure.  When you think of the infinite possibilities out there you will be less concerned about making a mistake. When you are willing to take risk in your quest for a new job, you can move forward without expectation and enjoy the journey. By focusing on the outcome of each and every interview, meeting or networking event you will likely drive yourself mad and miss out on the important opportunity right in front of you. When you treat your job search like you are on vacation or visiting a place you’ve never been, you start to explore the possibilities through a new, brightly colored lens. When you head out for your next interview, pretend you are taking a trip and are about to visit a wonderful new restaurant and eat something you’ve never tried before, you might even sneak in a bit of prayer but always be ready to take some risk when finding your next job.

When it comes to job search creativity in this day and age is key.  For some of us, this comes easy.  For others, we might need a little more fairy dust.  It’s tough these days to get noticed and sometimes it’s even harder to find the energy to promote yourself.  This is when it’s time to think creatively and create your own personal Jobisode to highlight and promote your career.

Most of us when asked, “What do you do?” feel compelled to respond to this seemingly innocuous question in creative and profound terms.  “Oh, I’m a writer” or “I am a division President,” “I am an artist, animator, director, entrepreneur” as opposed to “I work from home.”  It’s not about what you do that defines who you are as a person although I think our society and how we are programmed culturally often portrays a different image.  And so it might seem that the “larger than life” your response is to the question “What you do for a living” may further the  perception that you are as big as your title and your paycheck.

The next time you feel like throwing a pity party because you are stuck in a dead-end job or still haven’t found one that you are afraid will wind up in a dead-end, stop and take a moment.  Suffering from the fear of failure or maybe even success, or worrying about what is coming next is not going to help you move forward no matter how much you tell yourself it will.  Doubt is a feeling we all struggle with especially when we are burdened with an unstable economy and a sagging job market.  Finding your way out from the middle of your own fears, no matter how scary truly is the only way to look ahead.

These are three sentiments we have all felt at one time or another when it comes to how we may feel about our careers. Recently an executive stated these words upon leaving her high profile job that was not by choice. She was listening to her gut when she knew the job held a dream, a challenge and a headache.  You have undoubtedly been in a similar situation at some point in your own career, but what do you do to talk yourself down from the ledge when all you want to do is jump?  Are you resigned to working in a less than perfect work environment?  Have you given up on your ideals and principles in order to get a paycheck or placate the boss?  Do you know who are you anymore and does it matter so long as you still have a job?

...or so it seems.  Timing, timing and more timing.  Like the old biological clock that ticks for some and tocks for others, your job search like the waxing and the waning of the moon, is subject to timing, divine or otherwise.  Knowing that patience is the name of the game when it comes to waiting for the right opportunity to come along does not always make the wait any easier or any faster.  For some of us, waiting for the right job is as they say like watching paint dry, for the rest, it can be as quick as someone running the course through a speed dating session.  Your job search does not have to be an ordeal, 127 hours of waiting for help that never comes….

You’ve got to do more to impress the masses these days but it does not take a lot.  Common sense, simple courtesy and an ability to make an impression will drive how successful you are, not only the interview, but everything you say and do in between you and the job offer you are wanting.