How to get pumped up about job hunt

Thrilling. Adventurous. Delightful. Would you use these words to describe your job search? Most job hunters would respond to this question with a sharp, “No way!”

It’s true that looking for a job may not trigger the same type of pleasure as visiting the Seattle Art Museum or skiing Stevens Pass. But job searching can inspire happiness. Even better, it can make you pay attention to your life.

If you have a negative outlook about your career, I urge you to take another approach. Stop griping about dreadful interviews and empty inboxes. Resist the temptation to tell woeful stories about the economy. Instead, try to concentrate on the more fascinating aspects of job hunting. If you think about it, the process is loaded with anticipation, and where there is anticipation, you can find excitement, hope and celebration.

Happiness is practical

Do you realize that happiness can boost your productivity? It can even influence people to like you. (Don’t forget that likability is an essential attribute when it comes to networking, interviewing and succeeding in a day-to-day position). Plus, joyful people tend to follow their instincts, and this allows them to try new things, build new careers and discover intriguing job opportunities in surprising industries.

Let’s look at an example. A down-in-the-dumps salesperson needs a job, so she develops a haphazard resume and posts it on a string of Internet sites. This is a passive way of job searching, like dropping a fishing line in the water. Our unhappy professional casts her line and waits for a bite. Time passes. She checks her e-mail a dozen times. She makes sure her phone is working. As you can tell, her attitude doesn’t open any doors.

Here’s the flip side. A happy, energized sales associate brings a great amount of enthusiasm to her job hunt. Driven by her excitement, she creates a dynamic resume and adopts an assertive, go-getter approach to identifying prospective employers. She doesn’t wait. She takes action.

In a cheerful moment, she decides to search for opportunities in other industries. Drawing on her lifelong passion for theater, she places a few phone calls to local playhouses to ask about sales and marketing positions. She’s optimistic and adventurous, so anything can happen.

Exchange fear for joy

To be clear, I’m not saying that job hunting is as captivating as a butterfly garden or thrilling as a Mount Baker climbing expedition. I know that it can be maddening sometimes. But, I also know that success comes easier (and daily life feels much better) if you focus your attention on the good side of the process, rather than the bad.

There is something new and different ahead of you. It’s right there, just beyond your reach. Rather than worrying about it, sit down and write a killer resume. Make some calls. Research various industries. Prepare terrific responses to thorny interview questions.

If you’re a job hunter, then your life may be in transition. That’s OK. Don’t let uncertainty get you down. Try to imagine some of the exciting things that await you, like wage increases, promotions, interesting challenges and new friends. Try to focus on joy, not fear. Life will excite you, if you let it.

Eve can be reached at Eve.GetAJob@gmail.com.