7 Essential Pieces of Advice for Job Seekers

As I navigate my new path—going from underemployed to fully and appropriately employed—I'm reflecting on how much I'm learning from smart people I admire about the tools needed to approach this journey differently.

One piece of advice has pushed me to reassess my strengths and weaknesses. Someone I deeply admire told me I needed to work on losing my "impostor syndrome." He shared examples of how he saw me compromise my leadership abilities by not leaning into my expertise and even downplaying my skills and experience. I was compromising and breaking down the very thing I needed to build up.

# 7. Face the Hard Questions Head-On

When was the last time you:

- Told your family how significant your struggle is?

- Confided in a friend about how unemployment or underemployment is affecting your spouse or other family members?

- Met with a financial advisor to honestly assess how this period is impacting your retirement plans?

Be brave and ask these questions early and often. These challenges aren't going anywhere, so addressing them directly will help you move forward with clarity and support.

# 6. Eliminate Diminishing Language

Don't say "just" or "only" when describing your experience.

Saying "I just managed 14 people" or "I have only been in healthcare for eight years" diminishes everything around those words. Managing 14 high-performing, demanding, brilliant people is exceptional work. When you've personally hired or managed all but two of those people, that's a feat to be celebrated, not a number to be diminished.

# 5. Stop Using Past Tense for Your Professional Identity

You are still that professional, not someone who "used to be" something.

You didn't "used to be" a Marketing Executive, Project Leader, or Strategic Badass. You are still those things. What are you doing now to keep your edge? I see you learning, getting certified, and mastering new skills. You're not formerly that person—you are still that person, actively growing.

# 4. Commit Fully or Take an Honest Break

This is hard to hear, but if you've been unemployed or underemployed for more than a few weeks, you've likely had moments where you just gave up for a bit. That's okay if you're being honest with yourself about it. 

What's not okay is allowing 100 half-hearted job applications to count as an earnest search for work you love. Either commit fully to your search or take a deliberate, honest break to recharge.

# 3. Raise Your Sights

Have you been told you're underqualified for one role and overqualified for positions you've held for a decade? You're not alone, and it's a sign you're not aiming high enough.

Aiming higher comes with baggage, but if you're consistently hearing "under" or "over" qualified, you need to find the sweet spot. It's not about the title—it's about the work itself. Let go of titles and focus on demonstrating how you can excel at the actual work. This approach is far more rewarding and effective.

# 2. Practice Self-Compassion

Make sure your internal dialogue is caring and supportive, not a source of constant criticism.

Giving yourself grace isn't just inspirational text for t-shirts and coffee mugs—it's essential. I'm grateful for people who recognize struggle and remind us that kindness and consideration toward ourselves is key to getting through challenging work.

# 1. Seek Truth-Tellers

"I can't help you if you don't get better at this."

Those are powerful, honest words that also reflect love for the work at hand and the job to be done. I'm forever grateful to people who have the integrity to be that forthright with their words and intentions.

If you don't have people in your life who will challenge you with truths you may not want to hear, go find them. They exist, and they want to help.

Sometimes all we need to do is ask what they think and create space for them to tell us the truth.