One of the first pieces of advice I pass on to my clients is – Manage your Expectations! This is great advice for life in general, but particularly for the job search. Why? If you don’t control your expectations, they will overwhelm you in a flood of fears.

Clients frequently ask me such questions as – What do you think of the market? How long will it take to get a job? How many resumes should I send out – 50, 100, 500? What do you think an employer will think if I (fill in blank here)? All good questions, but no single or final answers.

Or some clients will want for a “perfect” resume that will guarantee a certain outcome. They expect the resume is the “magic bullet” will get them the job they want. They stake all their hopes and fears on the resume itself. But there is no perfect resume or magic bullet – there is what works.

The reality is that people come to the job search with a whole bag full of expectations, some realistic, most not. But another reality is that in the job search, as in life overall, there are more moving parts outside of a person’s control than within it.

Keeping this in mind will help you avoid an ulcer and keep you focused on what you can actually control – how hard you work the process and how well use your resume. As the saying goes – “Chance favors the prepared mind.” Remember – keep your expectations on a “short leash” and get as much exposure for your resume as possible.