By Alicia Pozsony
Recently, I found an old classifieds section of a local newspaper lying around in an outdated job-search folder. Instead of just tossing it, I revisited it to try to figure out why I’d kept it. I looked it over but noticed nothing exceptionally special about the date. Plus, no jobs were highlighted or circled. And there were no articles of use. So I continued scanning it this first time for companies that had been hiring for information technology positions that August of 2008 and found none. I scanned it again, this time for other positions I might now settle for, and I even circled a few that were advertising part-time work back then, hoping they might be solid leads to some work for me now.
How funny that a newspaper would make me think about all the time that had passed since then, and how quickly the time had gone by. I reflected on who I’ve become, ways I’ve changed, things I’ve done—all of it to try to see how much more accomplished I’ve become or perhaps how much more removed I’ve become from the motivated, confident, and go-getting employed Alicia I’d once been. Surprisingly, my conclusion lay in the middle—and on the fence. I have not been employed over most of that time but have demonstrated my extraordinary abilities—such as to be patient and flexible, to handle pressure in situations I’m not in control of, and to demonstrate volunteerism and show exactly how good a leader I am despite the ways that events of the recent past have affected my situation—as well as other qualities that set me apart from everyone else who’s out of work.
Then it hit me: there was an advertisement in that paper for a small-business seminar. At that time I’d been thinking about what it would take to open my own business. I kept the paper because I’d wanted to attend that seminar. It turned out that I didn’t have all of what it took to become an entrepreneur back then, but I believe that those of us out of work have to have the very same qualities it takes to become our own boss, because we are our own boss in the business of networking, job searching, and selling ourselves.
Imagine yourself an entrepreneur. What do you need to succeed? According to a recent article on Web site —there are five qualities that all entrepreneurs share that are the keys to their business success. See how they apply to your own job search:
1. Desire You must have a desire to break into the workforce or out of the average nine-to-five in an economy as tough as today’s and to put your ideas, ideals, and beliefs into action. Desire is the one key strength that forces entrepreneurs to stay ahead of competitors.
2. Positivity Like an entrepreneur, the job seeker of today must have a positive mental attitude toward life, business goals, and oneself. Job seekers must not be restricted by setbacks, delays, or disappointments. A naturally positive person continues to see opportunities where others see obstacles.
3. Commitment To succeed, you have to be committed to putting in the time and hard work necessary to sell yourself and reach your goals. You must commit to your beliefs and desires. Commitment brings efforts, efforts bring results, and results bring successes.
4. Patience Patience and commitment go hand in hand, and patient people who dedicate themselves to working away at their goals day after day will reap the rewards when the focused hard work pays off in the form of positive and successful results.
5. Persistence Usually, nothing is straightforward or without change, and the future is also usually unknown. These factors mean that the final key attribute of persistence is critical to success. When obstacles appear, when the goalposts get moved, and when tribulations get in the way, you have to persist with your ideas, persist with your hard work, and persist in keeping focused on success. With patient and committed persistence, the desired results will ensue.
Remember: a naturally positive person frees the mind from negativity and disappointment so as to be free to dream, imagine, develop, and expand.
Best of luck in your job search. Stay positive, and keep networking!
Recently, I found an old classifieds section of a local newspaper lying around in an outdated job-search folder. Instead of just tossing it, I revisited it to try to figure out why I’d kept it. I looked it over but noticed nothing exceptionally special about the date. Plus, no jobs were highlighted or circled. And there were no articles of use. So I continued scanning it this first time for companies that had been hiring for information technology positions that August of 2008 and found none. I scanned it again, this time for other positions I might now settle for, and I even circled a few that were advertising part-time work back then, hoping they might be solid leads to some work for me now.
How funny that a newspaper would make me think about all the time that had passed since then, and how quickly the time had gone by. I reflected on who I’ve become, ways I’ve changed, things I’ve done—all of it to try to see how much more accomplished I’ve become or perhaps how much more removed I’ve become from the motivated, confident, and go-getting employed Alicia I’d once been. Surprisingly, my conclusion lay in the middle—and on the fence. I have not been employed over most of that time but have demonstrated my extraordinary abilities—such as to be patient and flexible, to handle pressure in situations I’m not in control of, and to demonstrate volunteerism and show exactly how good a leader I am despite the ways that events of the recent past have affected my situation—as well as other qualities that set me apart from everyone else who’s out of work.
Then it hit me: there was an advertisement in that paper for a small-business seminar. At that time I’d been thinking about what it would take to open my own business. I kept the paper because I’d wanted to attend that seminar. It turned out that I didn’t have all of what it took to become an entrepreneur back then, but I believe that those of us out of work have to have the very same qualities it takes to become our own boss, because we are our own boss in the business of networking, job searching, and selling ourselves.
Imagine yourself an entrepreneur. What do you need to succeed? According to a recent article on Web site —there are five qualities that all entrepreneurs share that are the keys to their business success. See how they apply to your own job search:
1. Desire You must have a desire to break into the workforce or out of the average nine-to-five in an economy as tough as today’s and to put your ideas, ideals, and beliefs into action. Desire is the one key strength that forces entrepreneurs to stay ahead of competitors.
2. Positivity Like an entrepreneur, the job seeker of today must have a positive mental attitude toward life, business goals, and oneself. Job seekers must not be restricted by setbacks, delays, or disappointments. A naturally positive person continues to see opportunities where others see obstacles.
3. Commitment To succeed, you have to be committed to putting in the time and hard work necessary to sell yourself and reach your goals. You must commit to your beliefs and desires. Commitment brings efforts, efforts bring results, and results bring successes.
4. Patience Patience and commitment go hand in hand, and patient people who dedicate themselves to working away at their goals day after day will reap the rewards when the focused hard work pays off in the form of positive and successful results.
5. Persistence Usually, nothing is straightforward or without change, and the future is also usually unknown. These factors mean that the final key attribute of persistence is critical to success. When obstacles appear, when the goalposts get moved, and when tribulations get in the way, you have to persist with your ideas, persist with your hard work, and persist in keeping focused on success. With patient and committed persistence, the desired results will ensue.
Remember: a naturally positive person frees the mind from negativity and disappointment so as to be free to dream, imagine, develop, and expand.
Best of luck in your job search. Stay positive, and keep networking!
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