The Power Of Multiple Options

In job search as in life, there is real power in having multiple options.  A few choices to make.

Now, some may find this stressful.  After all, is it easier to navigate our lives if we have fewer choices to make?  Not for me.  I like the decision process.  And the moments that surround it.

I like that moment in life where we get to make a very substantial decision that will impact the entire path our life takes.  Those decisions include:

1. Where you go to college
2. The major you pursue
3. What first job you take out of high school or college
4. Whether you go back to school for an MBA or other advanced degree
5. Who you decide to marry
6. Whether to have kids
7. What city you call home
8. Which jobs you pursue during your career

Because each decision you make tosses you right into the middle of a new crowd.  People that will influence you.

Can you think of one or two decisions that completely changed your life?  Ever wonder what your life would look like had you made a different choice there?  If you married Mary Sue vs. Tina?

So the power comes in the knowledge that you have.  The knowledge that you are in a position to choose.  In job search, the ability to choose from a few options during your search gives you confidence.  And a sense of freedom.

And I’m not talking specifically about having multiple job offers.  While that’s nice and certainly has clear advantages, I’m talking about smaller choices and opportunities.

In a very early post on this blog, I wrote about the worst days during job search.  Days when nothing is happening and nothing is on the horizon.  I remember feeling a bit lost on those days.  And when finally something came up, I wanted to jump all over it.  With too much passion.  As if it were the answer.

And really it is not about finding one thing.  It is about generating multiple options.  Constantly.  Then the one job (the right one) will become more obvious.

Because if you have a constant effort to drum up new options, you will likely put yourself in a position where one opportunity (no matter how great) will not be your only choice.  The freedom that comes from having a few things to choose from allows you to relax a bit.

Being relaxed allows you to be (and appear) more confident.  It makes me want to talk with you and perhaps move you on to the next round of interviews.

If you are, however, looking at only one option.  All the time.  That option will seem magical.  Something you can’t let get away.

So you pursue it.  Perhaps with too much passion.  Maybe you look a bit desperate.

By having multiple options, you are allowed to pursue it quietly.  With purpose.  Because you know that if it doesn’t work out, you have a few others to pursue.  And, in fact, when you have multiple options you can be the pursued – not the pursuer.  And there is power in that too.

So how do you generate multiple options?  You work your network and use it to build a pipeline.  A pipeline that will continually deliver new options to you.

For some great examples of how people have created multiple options, join the LinkedIn group. See the featured discussion titled “Have you had a victory this week in your job search?  Even a small one?”  Eric just added an example of his ability to make new connections while at the car dealer.  Three new connections in 45 minutes “instead of just sitting there” waiting for his car.

Eric summarized his experience this way:

“Bottom Line: NETWORK, all day, every day, everywhere.  Be creative, use all the tools available.  Also, SHARE with others.  It really helps.”

By creatively utilizing and building on his network, Eric has given himself some new things to do, new people to network with and likely some new companies to consider in his search.

He has manufactured some freedom.  And that’s powerful.

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Tags: Career Networking | decisions | ideas | Job Search | LinkedIn | multiple options | Psychology | Strategy
Categories: Finding A Job | The Power Of Positive Thinking