Your Job Search on Groundhog Day

Tomorrow, February 2, is Groundhog Day here in North America.

If Punxsutawney Phil, the groundhog, comes out of his burrow and doesn’t see his shadow, winter will soon end.

If Phil does see his shadow, winter will last 6 more weeks.

What does Groundhog Day have to do with your job search?

Well, it’s also the title of the movie, starring Bill Murray, in which his character finds himself trapped in a time loop. Every day for him is February 2, and the day unfolds in exactly the same way, over and over again.

Here’s what this is all about: If you’re looking for a new job, do you feel stuck in a time loop? Like you’re doing the same thing over and over every day … with nothing to show for it?

If you are stuck, why not try something new in your job search?

Here’s the easiest way to try something new: Look at what everyone else is doing to find jobs, then do THE OPPOSITE.

Example #1: Everyone complains that they search all the job sites, like Monster and Careerbuilder, but they can’t find any good jobs. So, try the opposite. Stop looking for good JOBS.

Instead, start looking for good EMPLOYERS. (I talk about this in Chapter 2 of my free download, The Simple Job Search Manifesto.)

Example #1B: As a corollary to stop looking for jobs, you can start make it easier for jobs to find you.

To that end, you can create a free account on LinkedIn.com, for example, where recruiters regularly look for talent. Or go search for your name on Zoominfo.com, where recruiters also spend a lot of time searching for candidates; you can create a free account there, too, to control what others see and enable more opportunities to find you.

Example #2: Everyone complains that they email their resumes to employers, wait for a response, but never hear back.

So, try the opposite. You can stop depending on email to reach employers (as I discuss in Chapter 4 of The Simple Job Search Manifesto), or you can follow up intelligently to make sure they got your resume (see Chapter 7). Or, better yet, do both!

Here’s the bottom line– if you keep doing what you’ve beein doing, you’ll get more of the same results. Just like Bill Murray on Groundhog Day, you’ll be stuck in a time loop with no end in sight. No job, either. Is that what you want?

If you do want to break the pattern and free yourself from your dead-end job (or your unemployment), I urge you to try something new this week. Start with my free Simple Job Search Manifesto and, if you’re really serious about your job search, try my Home Study Course.

In any case, I hope that groundhog sees his shadow tomorrow — I’m ready for spring!

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This entry was posted on Friday, February 1st, 2008 at 9:08 am and is filed under job search tips. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.