MSEJ June 2017 | Page 23

can be harder to spot and trickier to fix. These moments of self-sabotage tend to fall into three categories:

No-Man’s-Land: The realm of the undecided or unfocused job seeker. Characteristics are a general resume, a wide variety of job applications in vastly different fields and functions, and no specific career interest. The job board might as well be a dart board.

Groundhog Day: The seeker who does the same thing repeatedly, despite results that never change. Characteristics include applying on the same site, to the same company, with the same resume, talking to the same people, and repeating the same job search actions without varying your approach.

After Action Review: The reflective job-seeker who sits down at the end of each week or job search activity to reflect on what was beneficial, what netted results (and what didn’t). You think (and think) about how you answered one interview question, about a resume that didn’t get a call, a site that the job expired on. At the end of the day, you mistake all of this analysis for forward progress, even if you end up repeating activities that aren’t producing results.

Whether you suffer from intentional or unintentional self-sabotage, you can change your ways. Most habits that we’ve acquired are learned behaviors; we can unlearn the ways we think and do things. If the ways that you’re acting or thinking aren’t serving you (or your job search), try these steps to change your ways:

1. Remind yourself of what needs to change, of the activity that you want to happen (write it down).

2. Write down the actions that you’re doing right now, and try to see where they’re steering you wrong. Are there opportunities you’re turning down? Are there moments where you’re spending time and energy in ways that don’t serve your goals?

3. Make a plan to readjust, and remember, sometimes minor adjustments net the biggest results.

4. After trying your new plan, reflect to make sure that your adjustments are giving you the results that you desire.

Job searches are mentally challenging. If you find that you can’t change these self-sabotaging behaviors on your own, reach out to an employment specialist at CASY & MSCCN. We have trainings, resources, and experience that are sure to get you out of your rut and on your way to success.

Are you preventing disaster or opportunity?