3 Secrets of a Zen Job Seeker

By Tony Morrison



Feeling frantic, stressed, and overwhelmed by your job search? The job search is uncertain, and the time and effort required is overwhelming.

If you are searching for a job and feeling this way, then you’re not alone. There are over 12.8 million Americans currently unemployed. Of those, over 1 million last month reported giving up on their search entirely, citing that they believe no jobs are available to them. You may even be close to giving up, too.
Instead of giving you more career networking tips and job search advice, let me provide a few different ways of thinking about your job search.

Eastern philosophies for centuries have taught open-mindedness is essential to attaining clarity and enlightenment. Zen, for instance, is experiential wisdom, realized through meditation and disciplined self-realization.  It is a practice that is concerned with what is, and not what you feel or think about what is.  Combining Zen and the job search can provide you with new insight and clarity about what is really important to you here and now, while reducing job search anxieties.

To attain the ultimate job search enlightenment, here are three secrets of a Zen job seeker:

1) Let Go. You cannot do it all and you cannot control everything related to what you do. The one thing that most job seekers believe is that unless they do everything under the sun to land a job, they will miss their opportunities.  If a person is so busy doing this and that and worrying about what happened yesterday and what might happen next month, then they will miss opportunities.  Focus on the things you can control and forget the rest. Some things (like hiring decisions) are simply out of your control — no matter how many resumes you send, cold calls you make, or tweets, blogs, and emails you write.  Accept this, focus on the things you can control, and you will experience less stress when things don’t go your way.

2) Know When To Shut Off. - tips 2 - 3 and complete CareerRocketeer article