May
01

11 comments

The Danger of Being an Optimist in Job Search

In 1969, a movie was released called “Paint Your Wagon”. It starred Clint Eastwood, Lee Marvin and Jean Seberg. The movie is a classic but the theme song has me troubled.

How can I be troubled by a song in an old western? You had to ask. Because I started singing it in my head the other night and it hasn’t left me since.

So I decided to write about it tonight . . . when I should probably be sleeping.

Anyway, the chorus of the theme song goes like this:

“Where am I going, I don’t know.

When will I get there, I ain’t certain.

All I know is I am on my way!”

But I’ll tell you the real reason it troubled me. Because it seems to be a song or a message floating through the minds of a lot of job seekers. Especially folks who are early in their search or are searching for the first time in their career.

The positive side of this chorus is that it represents an eternal optimism. An impulsive and uplifting attitude of “This shouldn’t be too hard!”. A sense that all you need to do is hop on the horse and head out.

Now before I begin the process of tearing down a beautiful thing like optimism, please know that I am a positive and “can-do” person. Really. But when optimism gets in the way of productive fear, I get a bit concerned.

So, what is productive fear? Productive fear is that sense of urgency you feel when you sense that perhaps you are behind or unprepared for something coming up in life that is really important to you. It is the realization that you have not taken the steps necessary to deliver your best work.

So, I dare say, optimism is the enemy of successful job search.

And productive fear drives action. Action to create a strong job search strategy. And action to seek out intelligent tools to help you succeed.

Optimism causes a number of critical mistakes and, made early on, they can severely hamper your effort.

How?

1. Assuming that your search will take 6-8 weeks.

Gosh, that would be great! Does it happen? Yes. Often? No. Please do not assume that your search will be quick. After the 8 weeks are up and frustration kicks in, you will wish you had those 8 weeks back.

2. Relying on recruiters.

Recruiters are a fantastic resource and a possible source of job opportunities. But recruiters cover only about 10% of the jobs out there. Should you work to build long term relationships with recruiters? Of course! Should you expect that your next job will come through one of their searches? No. It is unlikely and represents a false sense of security.

3. Believing that your current network will be enough.

None of us know enough people. If you think you know enough, you may think your work is done. Don’t let your mind go there. In job search networking, breadth (the number of people you know), depth (the influence of that network) and education (the specifics job objectives you’ve shared) should be relied upon before hoping that your circle is already large enough.

4. Placing all of your eggs in one basket.

Sometimes in job search, an early win appears on the horizon. Boy that feels good. It reinforces all of your optimistic views. ”See world! No big deal!” Within a few weeks of your being out of work, a great opportunity comes along. You are interviewed once, twice and now a third time. All looks good. You begin to get comfortable in the possibilities of a short search and potentially the idea that you can “bank” some severance pay. The problem comes when you don’t get the job. Or the job gets put on hold or something else delays your passing “GO”. Meanwhile you did not pursue other opportunities. You did not do any networking. Whoops.

5. Your brain writes checks that your body can’t cash.

Your psychology (and that of your spouse) gets a wake up call. The shift from optimism to panic happens pretty quick. But its not abrupt or overt. It manifests as a slight trickle of sweat on the brow. But inside it can progress quickly into a feeling that can freeze you rather than motivate you. Productive fear, discussed above, requires a conscious understanding that a day will come early on when its time to get serious. Optimism can blind your ability to get the conscious signal.

So instead of optimism, here’s what I’ll suggest.

Starting day 1:

- Build a rock-solid job search strategy.

- Create fantastic marketing materials that position you as the person who can deliver a big impact.

- Network like crazy and don’t stop doing it. Make it a lifelong hobby.

- Be a confident, memorable and interesting person.

- Don’t let one positive event slow your effort to create six more events.

Be positive, sure. But optimism alone will only hurt you. Job search is serious business. It’s competitive. And anything that suggests you can ease up on the throttle in the middle of the race, is unproductive.

I’d rather you be confident – knowing you have done everything possible to allow your hard work to intersect with good timing as soon as possible.

Are you an optimist?

Comments

Susan Walls May 1, 2009 @ 10:24 am

Excellent advice and reminders.
Thanks,
Susan Walls
http://www.linkedin.com/in/susanwalls
Ajita May 1, 2009 @ 4:31 pm

I completely agree!!
I have found that optimism or over-confidence in team members can at times hinder achieving project deadlines.
Great advice. I will make sure I forward it to all the job-seekers I know.
Thanks!
Ajita
Tim Tyrell-Smith May 1, 2009 @ 8:33 pm

Thanks Ajita! Good point about it being an affliction of business, not just job search! Thanks for sharing!
tom_magill@hotmail.com May 2, 2009 @ 1:34 pm

I have heard people months into thier search speak variations on this theme – and they wonder why they are still on the outside looking in!
“Where am I going, I don’t know.
When will I get there, I ain’t certain.
All I know is I am on my way!”
Sree May 7, 2009 @ 12:52 am

Good one, Tim. ‘productive fear’ … I know about a similar phrase ‘burning desire’ which basically means we may have a laundry list of to-dos, needs etc. but unless there is a burning desire in our heart and mind we will not work towards it and will not achieve it.
I found a book in my local library — Managing Yourself by Mike Pedler and Tom Boydell — its very promising; For folks deep into their job search or just starting out on the ‘journey’, it would be a good companion; there is some serious advise in there which basically helps to organize our thoughts/actions for a better quality of life overall.
cheers!
Sree
Tim Tyrell-Smith May 7, 2009 @ 1:06 am

Hi Sree – Thanks for your note! “Burning desire” is another good way to think about what drives us . . . Appreciate the book suggestion!
Roberta May 7, 2009 @ 6:12 am

Tim,
So true – been there, and its a real trap. You need to be positive – and keep working.
Regarding Paint your Wagon though – the real optimist in that movie was Clint Eastwood, thinking he could sing.
Looking forward to reading all your postings and adding you to my feed.
Roberta
Tim Tyrell-Smith May 7, 2009 @ 6:35 am

Thanks Roberta. Good point about Clint Eastwood . . . that’s probably why he stuck with good one liners from then on!
Don Anderson May 8, 2009 @ 8:19 am

Very good points in the article. It read like it was written about me. I’ve been out of work for 11 months and I spent the first 8 months doing all the wrong things, limiting myself to internet searches and staffing agencies. I’m just now learning about networking, and I know I’m still not doing enough.
BTW, Clint Eastwood sang in another movie; “Honkytonk Man,” where he played an aspiring country singer dying of cancer.
Tim Tyrell-Smith May 8, 2009 @ 6:12 pm

Hey Don – Not written about you but based on people I know who have focused in a few wrong areas early on in their search. Glad to hear you are finding some new productive outlets. Thanks for the heads up on the other Clint Eastwood performance!
Arash Sayadi September 4, 2009 @ 1:24 pm

Tim,
I re-read this entry today. I’m putting on my curmudgeon hat and I respectfully disagree with this advice.
I’m a big fan of optimism and BHAGs (Big Hairy A## Goals). Fear is definitely something negative that I don’t condone in the work place nor job search. Fear enforces negative thinking and behavior. It’s especially dangerous since it can so easily amplify and lead to a debilitating state of procrastination and pessimism.
On the other hand, setting audacious goals and accepting that “failure is not an option” can do nothing but produce good results. Napoleon Hill in his famous book “Think and Grow Rich” brings up some very good points on the subject. None of our successful business role models were pessimists. They set goals and never accepted failure. They didn’t just stop by setting goals, but by constantly thinking about those goals and creating plans that helped their realization.
I admit, BHAGs without plans are nothing more than what your excerpt purports:
“Where am I going, I don’t know.
When will I get there, I ain’t certain.
All I know is I am on my way!”
So, planning is key is achieving your BHAGs.
Mind you, optimism alone is not enough. Napoleon Hill reminds us to practice the seven positive emotions:
Desire
Faith
Love
Sex
Enthusiasm
Romance
Hope
And to avoid the seven negative emotions:
Fear
Jealousy
Hatred
Revenge
Greed
Superstition
Anger
Notice that Fear is on top of this list! The number one habit to avoid holds as true for finding work as for setting sales, development, and delivery goals at work.
With regard to setting an unrealistic timeline, we can certainly read the statistics on how long ON AVERAGE it takes an executive to find work, but who actually sets their goals based on averages? Do any of us think, or better, should anyone ever be satisfied with setting our life goals around averages?
I agree we need a sense of urgency through constructive fear. I suggest we can have a sense of urgency by setting BHAGs that aim to beat the average anything. This BELIEFE, not want or wish, that you WILL land in a shorter time than the majority of the population is what leads to a constructive urgency to accomplish it. In fact, it’s faith, desire and hope that will help you plan and pave the road to success.
Let me explain what I mean by belief. Complete belief or “knowing you’ll achieve your goals” is the same type of belief that you have that the sun will rise tomorrow. That night time will be followed by day. I admit, this level of belief in your own success is difficult to achieve. Even if you achieve it, you may sometimes lose faith in it, but that’s only a sign of fear. It’s fear promoted by negative news that feeds into a lack of belief.
Knowing you’ll achieve your goals requires confidence in your own abilities and skills. And once you have this belief you’ll be able to go to sleep dreaming about your success and how to achieve your goals, waking in the morning KNOWING that you will. Failure to achieve BHAGs, then, is not a question of too much optimism so much as it is in not having enough belief in yourself and your ability to achieve them.
I suggest, whether we’re setting goals at work, to gain new business, or in finding our next employer, we become the eternal optimists and draw our path to success through our thorough planing and absolute belief that we can achieve our goals.
Thanks,
Arash Sayadi
MBA, BSEE, PMP, CSM
http://www.iengineer.net
http://www.themarq.com (blog)
“If you lead your life the right way, the karma will take care of itself. The dreams will come to you.” Randy Pausch, Author of “The Last Lecture”

The Danger of Being an Optimist in Job Search

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