As the song goes, we all need people in our lives – and having them, we are the luckiest people in the world. While it is just a song, it reflects the greater reality – we must live and work together. Unless, of course, you run a lighthouse on a solitary coast or are trapping for furs in the backside of the Yukon. But for most of us, we need people in our lives to make life happy, productive and fulfilling.

Nowhere is this more true than in the job search – we need contacts and connections that are productive and helpful. Those who have been, are now or will be in transition know how crucial a network is for support and encouragement to deter loneliness, frustration and even in extreme situations, despair. But how many make this kind of traumatic transition harder than it needs to be? Too many allow shame, fear and pain to grow like weeds and poison confidence, motivation and perspective.

We are not made to live and work alone, slaving away without dignity, productivity and satisfaction. We are meant to be part of something larger than ourselves and know that we have had a positive impact within our personal spheres of life It is possible to have significance at work – and it starts with being a “giver” and not a “taker.”

To combat the many negative ways of executing a job search, here are 2 crucial solutions.

1. Personal Accountability – having at least one knowledgeable person who checks in with you regularly, asks the hard questions and keeps you on track – sort of like the “Buddy System” from summer camp days. Do you have a close friend and colleague who would be willing to set up a regular time for reviewing your job search campaign and making necessary course corrections.

2. Community Involvement – having new or ongoing opportunities to help others in different venues and get pulled out of yourself. How easy it would be to pull up the ladder to your life’s treehouse, but this only increases negative thinking and bad habits. Besides actually helping others in need, people will appreciate your intentions and actions – and who knows what new connections you can make?

These 2 options can assist you in minimizing or avoiding the slippery slope of isolation, frustration and selfishness – exactly the qualities you definitely don’t want to reflect in the workplace. Instead, you will be able to better weather the ups and downs that will inevitably occur.

Having such a positive, focused approach will actually attract the right kind of job opportunities. Good people tend to attract other good people, leading to a good job with real satisfaction and proper compensation. Don’t make the job search harder than it already is – do yourself a favor and use the resources available to get more traction and better results.

Quick Applications:

  1. Take some time to sketch out and organize your network.
  2. Prioritize your resources and focus on expanding your contacts.
  3. Ask a close colleague to coffee or tea once a week or biweekly to review your search.
  4. Volunteer with outward-facing opportunities that truly help others in need.
  5. Avoid burning time and effort in directions that are not central to your goals.