Patience is sometimes all that stands between accomplishment and failure. If Thomas Edison wasn't patient enough he wouldn't have invented the light bulb which was a huge achievement of the time. Life today goes faster and faster as people seek to accomplish their goals within very tight deadlines. People are not used to waiting for the result to come through hard work, they rather opt for quick success when possible. Patience is a trait that most people don't see value in as they lose it when they can't wait until the green light gives them the right to cross the street. The jobs market is very demanding today and many people lose patience as they can not find a job they wanted within the timeframe they expected. We have several helpful tips on how to handle this.
Managing Your Career Expectations
It all starts with realistic expectations. There are some people who expect hiring managers to get back to them in a few hours after they sent the application. But that is simply not possible for most companies. Obviously, you are not the only one trying to get your foot through the company doors. The whole hiring process s very time consuming as HR managers often have to review all resumes, conduct some phone screens, gather feedback, etc. Landing a job then doesn't happen when you want it. And yes, it may seem to go very slow but there is nothing you can do with it. Understanding the process from another perspective contributes to setting right expectations which can help you stay calm.
Secondly, back your expectations with some practical actions. For example, make a document where you jot down all of your job search activities. It is very easy to get lost when you apply to multiple jobs as you can lose track of what you should next in each application. So what you could do is better organize your activities. Create a list of companies you will or have applied to and mark the steps to be made whether it is an application or follow up. This way you will keep yourself right on track focusing on what needs to be done rather than how long this whole thing takes. Remember that there are some objective reasons why the response from an HR may delay but you can do nothing about that. Therefore, it is better to concentrate on what you can do to control the process.
Lastly, focus on achieving milestones. Break down the job hunting challenge into smaller tasks. Think about what you have to do in order to receive a job proposal from reputable employers. Don't limit yourself to resume writing only. Although a resume is an important marketing tool there is much more than you can do. For example, you can set the goal of attending one networking event per week. Or you can choose to monitor job boards every day. Whatever you think may help you achieve your career goals should be in the plan.
