What to Do While Waiting for the Perfect Job

Are you tired of waiting for the perfect job to show up?

If so, you may share the same bad habit that I have…

When I’m unsure about what to do, I often overanalyze a situation considering every possible strategy and outcome. I’m happy to take my sweet time in making up my mind.

But once I decide, I’m impatient and want to see results immediately. I want it NOW and get frustrated when things take longer than expected.

I’m sure you can see the problem with this approach…there’s no space (or grace) in the transition.

I see this happen with a lot of professionals when they’re considering job opportunities.

Many spend months (or more likely years) weighing their options and thinking about career moves. There’s no pressure or clock. They complain, talk about leaving, casually scroll through job postings and keep their options open.

Then one day, as if out of the blue, they decide to leave. They want to leave NOW but they don’t have another job lined up or an immediate exit plan.

Suddenly work is unbearable and they get impatient and frustrated with the job market. They don’t want to go to work and nothing is coming their way. They may have applied for jobs or even interviewed, but they’re not getting much traction and employers are dragging their heels in making hiring decisions.

It feels unbearable – as if you’re stuck in a state of limbo. You’re waking up to go to a job that you’re over. You’ve already emotionally moved on but you still have to physically show up.

As someone that suffers from this same “I don’t know………………to LET’S GO” syndrome, I have a few tips that might help you relax into your current situation.

1. Take a step back and get a fresh perspective

Be honest. How long have you been considering making a move? Let that same timeframe be your goal for landing your dream job. If we can see the process as a continuum, it helps us have more realistic expectations as to timing. When we think something isn’t happening fast enough, we begin to think there’s something wrong with us, it will never happen and we’re always going to be stuck. It might even make us desperate, leading to poor decisions (i.e., applying for every available job and taking a position that is a terrible fit). It’s important to have a clear and realistic picture of just how long the process might take.

2. Be aware of when you’re being negative

When we decide that we’re ready to move on but for whatever reason we can’t, we tend to focus on the negative. We focus on the people that we don’t like. We focus on the clients that we don’t like. We focus on the long commute and boring work. We might wake up with a knot in our stomach or complete dread as we’re driving into work. When we get stuck in these negative cycles, it’s really difficult to pull ourselves out. The key is to be vigilant about paying attention to your attitude and beliefs so that you can nip it in the bud before it spirals out of control.

3. Focus on what you’re going to miss

When you catch yourself being negative and focusing on how you feel stuck, shift your focus to what you’re going to miss. There has to be something about your job that you enjoy and will genuinely miss when you’re gone. Maybe it’s people. Are there colleagues and coworkers that you really enjoy that you’re going to miss having around each and every day? Maybe it’s the location. Maybe it’s the restaurants you get to walk to every day for lunch. Maybe it’s a particular client or project that you won’t get to work on anymore. If you can say to yourself, “I’m here right now and I’m going to make the best of the things that I love about this job,” it will make your day go by faster and you will be happier.

If you follow these three steps, you’re also more likely to get the job you want!

Others pick up on our energy. If you are negative and complaining and desperate to get out of your job, potential employers will pick up on that. On the other hand, if you are focused on having a good attitude and savoring the things that you’re going to miss, potential employers will pick up on how you’re a positive, upbeat, team-player. You’re going to present as a much better candidate.

If you can try to shift your perspective about timing, catch yourself when you’re being negative and focus on the things you’re going to miss, you will be gone and in a better job before you know it!

Leave a comment below and let me know how you slow down and stay in a positive frame of mind when things seem to be moving too slowly.