The more we live, the more we realize that there are many things that are happening whether we want it or not. That is to say, we have no impact on those things even we somehow related to them. Most of us call this phenomena "luck" usually defining a success brought by chance. No one is capable of controlling everything so that means there will always be things in all areas of life which we cannot change. The question is how strong is this luck factor in a job search? Does it really defines people's careers and lives or is it just a small thing that might modify our path a little bit? Probably those who have achieved something in their career would say that they did so due to the hard work, while their opponents (who usually are not that successful) claim the opposite. So where do we draw a line between one's efforts and luck in a job search? Answering this question will help to understand how to approach any job search effectively...
It Doesn't Really Matter
Most of us would agree to the fact that our career doesn't fully depend on us at all stages. Sometimes it is just out of our reach and we can influence absolutely nothing. Obviously, we may like the idea of having control over everything but that is just not true. One can do nothing if the owner of the company he/she works has decided to sell the company. Job seekers have no impact on a hiring manager who decides which resumes he/she will review first. You can come up with hundreds of situations like this. Unfortunately for job seekers, there are many factors that they cannot control. Some are lucky to get selected, while others didn't have a chance because their resume got never read since the position has already been taken by another applicant. That's how it is. So to say that a chance or luck has no place in today's job search is to deny reality.
It is important to understand though that luck is not a decisive factor for one's career success in general. It can certainly pose additional challenges at times but luck doesn't define one's career path. The key here is the attitude. As Charles Swindoll noted, "Life is 10% what happens to us and 90% of how we react to it." This applies to career development very well. At some point in our career, circumstances (luck) can have a significant impact but that doesn't stand for all of the careers. We choose how we react to success and failure and it is what we commit to doing that matters. You may get really unlucky once or twice in your career, but that won't happen always. The problem that most people have is blaming luck for their own failures. The better scenario is to concentrate not on things that don't depend on you but rather focus on things you can control.
First, always give your best no matter what you do. It doesn't matter where you work or what kind of things you do, just give your 100% and it will pay off in the future. Second, never stop learning. It is essential for a successful career to have this hunger for new knowledge and desire to become better in everything you do. It often takes courage to break your own comfort zone and start doing things you didn't do in the past. Lastly, don't give up if you struggle to succeed. No matter how hard it is there is just no good reason to give up and quit trying to achieve your career goals.
