Overcoming indecisiveness in your job search

Are you stuck in career quicksand … immobilized by indecision, insecurity and a fear of failure?

I meet many job seekers who are just plain stuck. When I ask them what they want to do, they list six or seven things that they could do or want to do followed by all the reasons why each option would be impossible to do. Or, they bring up painful, past job issues or recent rejections that haunt them and keep them from moving forward in their career.

Such confusion and discouragement is understandable whether unemployed or miserably employed, but overcoming this stuck feeling is essential before you can focus effectively on your job search. 

A life coach can help you overcome the quicksand feeling hindering your life and career plans.

What's the difference?

A career coach helps you achieve your career and employment goals. They do so by assisting you in improving your interviewing and networking abilities, creating your resume, helping you adjust to a company culture, etc. Typically they focus on the tactics, actions and professional behaviors that can help you get or keep a job or progress in your career.

On the other hand, a life coach can help you overcome barriers such as indecision or fear of failure that may be holding you back in various aspects of your life including your career. They can also help you discover your purpose, focus your attention and draw out your potential. Because life coaches get to the heart of what’s keeping you from success, you may want to work with one before enlisting a career coach.

Life Coach CarolWatkins offers 10 quick tips to focus your life before focusing on your career:

1. Know yourself: Take inventory of your talents, skills, values, and interests.  Ask yourself: What am I good at?
2. Be open to change:  Gain confidence by familiarizing yourself with the stages of transition. Ask: How will the next stages of my life be different than others I've experienced?
3. Research: Read high quality resources to learn and grow. Ask: What interests me?
4. Investigate:  Conduct informational interviews.  Ask: Who can I interview who is doing work I am interested in? Whose advice would I value?
5. Experiment:  Create volunteering experiences. Ask: What career field could I explore through volunteering?
6. Reflect:  Consider your inner desires. Ask: What’s most important to me as I transition to this next chapter?  
7. Figure out the money: Ask: What will be my practical needs and how can I ensure they will be addressed?
8. Strengthen your well being -- physically, mentally and spiritually. Ask: What can I put at the top of my to-do list to make my well being a priority?
9. Network: Don’t go it alone. Find and engage with people who can be influential in your job search. Ask: How can I develop relationships with these people?
10. Upgrade your education and skills:  Check out what your local community college or adult education organizations offer to help you attain your career goals. Ask: How can I improve my skills, be retrained, explore new interests, pursue talents, or brush up on technology?    

The bottom line: Don't let indecision and discouragement keep you from the life or career you want! Consider a life coach and / or a career coach to overcome what's keeping you from success.  

Carol Watkins, Life Coach

Need a life coach?

Contact Carol Watkins to arrange life coaching or research life coaches in your area by typing your city name and the words "life coach" in the Google search box. 

On the other hand, if you need career-specific assistance rather than life coaching, visit our Services page to get the help you need to land the job you want.

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What are your thoughts about career and life coaches or getting out of career quicksand? Share your comments via the Contact tab.

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