Many times when people are dropped into a new search after being let go from their jobs, a natural first reaction to the shock is to freeze and not move. And that’s OK – it can take some time to adjust and adapt to the new situation. Typically, it is good to take a week off and play, clear your head a bit and get your bearings.
Much more important though is to get moving again and avoid the inevitable inertia that is sure to tempt you into inaction. Make sure you have an excellent resume, create a solid job search campaign and activate your network. Don’t worry about picking the exact target for your next job – most likely, you will figure out what position will best fit once you re-launch into the stream.
Moving with a purpose will give you confidence, momentum and traction in the job search. Plus it is critical for keeping peak morale. However, on the other side, to set arbitrary expectations or to think the next opportunity will simply drop in out of the blue is really to walk right in front of the 18-wheeler of Disappointment. Manage your expectations and work the process! Each day your goal should be to keep forward motion.
As the saying goes, it is easier to steer a moving car than a parked car, so don’t be afraid to make some mistakes! You may have to go down a few “bunny trails,” but that’s OK as it is part of the process. It is part of the larger processing of learning to live. The key to getting the job you want lies in being convinced that you will get it, and then doing the hard work required to actually get it. Successful people always have confidence in their abilities and they know you have to play a certain amount of mind games to “outsmart” yourself.
