Monday, August 27, 2012

Your Job Search Objective and Tunnel Vision


Having tunnel vision means your perception is focused tightly on something up ahead to the exclusion of other things around you. 

To a large extent this is exactly what I recommend when putting your Job Search Objective into play. By doing this you move toward what you have set out to accomplish and not the twenty-five other things you might want to accomplish.

Simply put, your Job Search Objective is your employment goal. It serves best when it is specific and detailed in terms of location and duties. It is used best when placed ahead of all other options.

Equating your search objective to tunnel vision suggests that things not in and around your line of sight are to be ignored. That's exactly the point. You make a conscious effort not to engage in distractions along the way because you don’t have time or energy for non-applicable diversions. 

But remain vigilant because it's harder than it sounds. To many, focusing is an unnatural act. For them "shotgunning” seems like the best way to go. They believe it enhances their odds of being successful. In my experience this is completely wrong. Success is found by staying on track and doing many small things well.  The shotgun approach skims the surface, providing little or no access to the nuanced moves beneath

Another misnomer is that you should make an effort to stay heads-up for any and all opportunities that pop up. I am not against picking the low hanging fruit if an opportunity otherwise fits your objective. But taking this approach too often becomes rubbernecking and results in your head drifting out of the tunnel. Without discipline you end up in the same place shotgunning will get you. Rudderless and all over the map.

The biggest opportunities will be those you create for yourself. They will also be the most rewarding.

Keep your Job Search Objective tight, realistic and right for you and allow yourself to contract a strong case of tunnel vision. Then get on with the search.

Travel well.
John Jeffrey Lundell


No comments:

Post a Comment