Here I was, sipping my hot chocolate in sunny Ecuador, enjoying my vacation and considering where to start with advising a client about his job search …

It suddenly occured to me that very often I counsel jobseekers who exercise, dare I say, two opposing strategies of how to handle the whole process of looking for a job: PUSH and LET GO.

The wrong questions
These ‘strategies’ are not scientifically created; rather they are a by-product of asking the wrong questions when dealing with the challenges of finding a job.

At the beginning of our job search process, we are motivated to do our best. We send 20 applications per week, call 10 recruiters and show up in person to the companies handling applications (the last one is a huge ‘no-go’ in Denmark – it comes across as too aggressive!).

Dealing with rejection
Later on, after some rejections, we tend to close ourselves a bit and maybe drift to the side, thinking: “Hmm, maybe something is wrong with my stuff.” At that moment, people usually lose their spark and motivation, thus ‘letting go’ of the job search flow.

If you are just on the verge of doing another ‘PUSH’ or just decide to ‘LET GO’ of all your strategies and efforts, the best advice I can give you is to stop, come to terms with reality and honestly ask yourself the question: What did I do RIGHT?

What went well?
We seem to always start with the question: What did I do wrong? What shall I change in my CV or application? Changing your thinking perspective to ‘WHAT WENT WELL?’ (WWW) is the best thing you can do.

The idea is to grow on your strengths! So stop beating yourself up! Look at what went right! Success comes from your strengths.

How you succeed
So, buckle up for the next round and before you are ready to push yourself down, just in the blink of an eye – tell me, what went well?

And I am talking about more than just patting yourself on the back and feeling good! It is about finding out how you succeed and how you can carry on succeeding.

Try it and good luck!