In the half-full/half-empty motivational pithy platitude hall of fame is an old saying that we have all heard: The light at the end of the tunnel (signifying the Yay-I’m-Almost-There syndrome) may actually be a train coming toward you (also known as the Oh-Shit-Not-Again syndrome). In the middle of a tunnel you never know exactly where you are located. Motivation to continue is based on the basic survival need that you cannot remain where you are. Dark is scary. In a job search, you pick your tunnel based on the best information you have at the moment and usually must proceed along that path until you reach the end. As you fumble through the darkness, step by step, bend by bend, you never really know if your goal will be waiting for you.
Where the tunnel analogy is somewhat weak is that we rarely get into situations in which we are totally in the dark in a job search. There are still several tunnel-like lessons to be learned from this.
- Planning – The allegorical tunnel story usually assumes that you are already in your tunnel. The most important step is the first one… to know where you are going before you start. You must have a clear vision of the destination planted in your mind.
- Researching – Investigate your options by talking to people who have been there before you. Seek the best advice and use all the tunnel sounding tools at your disposal to give you the best vision into the future.
- Evaluating – Don’t get misled by the shiny appearance of the entrance to the path because it may be only a façade. The path for you may be the long, difficult one. Filter all of the advice you have received through your own knowledge base and decide what is best for you. Â
- Deciding – Obviously, all the pre-work is useless unless you actually move forward. A 100% commitment to action is necessary. Delaying a job search until “the timing is right†may be inviting disaster or forfeiting opportunity to someone else.
- Acclimating – The darkest and scariest part of the tunnel is just after entering. Working step-by-step toward the expected reward gets easier as you gain the experience of each encounter. Tasks that appear hard today will be a breeze tomorrow and builds confidence.
- Communicating – You may find a need to involve the advice and counsel of others and gather as much information as possible before making the plunge. Expect to encounter dead zones in communication that are unexpected and know how to respond using your own resources.
- Improvising – Plan for contingencies, but also call on your native intelligence to figure out next steps when the unexpected happens. Being armed with the knowledge that you are prepared gives you the confidence that you need to go on.
- Backtracking – The questions always looms, “Should I turn back?†If the objective were to be around the next bend, going back is a form of giving up. Set goals for your quest, evaluate each one at benchmarks, and make decisions quickly and decisively.
- Dredging – Nobody said it would be a clear path. Major obstacles blocking your course may require digging out of a jam by carving out a new way if there is no way around them. This is a test of planning. If you got this far without the necessary tools to reach the objective you will have no alternative other than to go back.
- Exiting – Walking out of your experience does not necessarily mean the end. Now that you have successfully completed the tasks necessary to arrive at the end, look for a new beginning. We need our tunnels to challenge us and excite us.
The next step after completion is a new beginning. The thrill of success gives us the courage to look for and enter new tunnels. A job search is not over when the offer is received. Nothing is forever, even the dream job. The techniques planned, rehearsed and executed to arrive at the end is not wasted effort since it can also be a template for both internal and external searches.
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Image credit: Light at the End of the Tunnel knorre / 123RF Stock Photo