Great Occupations

…the driving force behind everything is that enthusiasm for trying.
–Alex Zanardi

Alex Zanardi is one of my heroes. His story is remarkable, and I hope it’ll inspire you to not give up on pursuing your passions.

On September 15, 2001, just days after the terrorist attack on the U.S., two-time CART Champion (an American racing series which later merged with the IRL) and Formula 1 racing car driver lost both of his legs and almost lost his life in a race in Berlin. He had to be resuscitated three times that day.

After being in a coma for a week, Zanardi fought his way back to health, got fitted with prosthetics and found a way to drive again. In his book, My Sweetest Victory, it’s obvious that his love for his career as a race car driver was second only to his love for his family.

My husband and I had been big fans of CART Racing, diligently watching practically every race for well over 10 years. We certainly had a lot of respect for Zanardi as we watched him win two CART championships. But we were absolutely blown away in 2003 when we watched him return to the Berlin track where his tragic accident had occurred and finish the remaining 13 laps of that race from 2001. He broke a record that day for fastest disabled person! He subsequently went on to compete in other car racing series in Europe. The last I heard, he’s been doing some competitive hand-cycling.

In his book he writes:

Would it have made sense for me to spend the rest of my days lying in bed staring at the white ceiling and telling myself that it was all over? I can’t blame those who do not succeed in psychologically overcoming serious obstacles that life at times imposes on us. It’s just that I have been fortunate enough to be able to put those things in the proper perspective from the start. I hope others can do the same.

Don’t know about you but when I have a tough day, inspiring stories like this give me a dose of “proper perspective.” Suddenly, my situation doesn’t seem so tough afterall. I keep pursuing my passions and keep my eye on the prize!

Angela Loëb is an author, speaker and career coach who gets inspired by and loves to share stories about people who have overcome challenges to pursue their passion. She and her partner, Jay Markunas, help people find work they love through their company, Great Occupations. Listen to them on The Job Search Boot Camp Show. Find out more about their programs & services atwww.greatoccupations.com.

“What do you want?” is a question that I ask clients and audiences all the time. Please note that this is not quite the same question as “What are you looking for?”

“What are you looking for?” might include doing stuff you don’t really want but think you ought to do. It might include options that resemble what you’ve been choosing up to this point but you find emotionally dissatisfying. “What are you looking for?” is too often answered with a very surface “well, this is what I can do” response. It’s great to know what you can do, but it’s even more important to add what you want into the equation.

I don’t subscribe to the notion that job satisfaction is completely contingent on external factors, so I find it very alarming that over ½ of Americans say they’re not satisfied with their jobs. It’s a safe bet that these folks could easily answer “What are you looking for?” and define their response by their capabilities. I wonder if they have ever truly attempted to answer “What do you want?” I wonder if these dissatisfied Americans lack personal clarity or if they simply lack the courage to pursue what they want …or maybe it’s both.

Recently, a middle-aged gentleman who attended one of my programs patiently made his way through the worksheet I gave out to the group. A few days later, he told me that the exercises made him realize that he hadn’t been using his gifts or acknowledging his passions for a long time. “I told my wife that I’ve been doing it wrong all this time,” he quipped. Yet, he now seems committed during this transition between jobs to shift from a “what can I do?” focus to a “what can I do that I want?” focus because he understands that he will be happier, his wife will be happier, and, frankly, he’ll do better at getting an offer. Why will he do better at getting an offer? Because people prefer to hire candidates with genuine enthusiasm over those with great skills but no passion.

So… What do you want? Does the focus of your job search include this factor? If not, don’t waste any more time – get clear about what you want and go for it today!

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Angela Loëb is an author, speaker and career coach. Along with partner, Jay Markunas, she helps people gain clarity and develop successful strategies for career transition. Among the many topics covered in their upcoming webcast series, The Job Search Boot Camp, they teach job seekers how to get clear about what they want. See a 4-minute Job Search Boot Camp Preview. Listen to them on The Job Search Boot Camp Show. Find out more about their services at www.greatoccupations.com.

Yesterday I gave practical tips about body language. Today we address the main source of your unconscious body language, which I believe holds the key to career success, job search results, happiness in your home life, quality relationships with friends, etc. And that is attitude.

Attitude affects body language from the inside out. You can practice the mechanics of sitting this way or making eye contact that way all you want, but if you’re not “feeling it,” you will most certainly sabotage your chances for a successful interpersonal encounter. In the interview, a mal-adjusted attitude is the death-knell for your chances of landing the offer. And I remind you of what yet another poet once said… “There ain’t no way to hide your lyin’ eyes.”

In the Job Search Boot Camp, Jay & I ask attendees to complete a set of powerful exercises designed to help recognize and then release emotional baggage and attitudes like those below:

• Rejection – many interviews, but no offer yet
• Fear, anxiety, uncertainty – feeling of no control
• Anger – one of the stages of grief due to job loss
• Unresolved issues with past employers or managers – having trouble finding the positive spin
• Lack of confidence – personal hang-ups creeping in, such as I’m too old, young, overweight, tall, short, etc.
• Blame – it’s the economy, they’re discriminating, my old manager is giving me a bad reference, etc.
• Frustration – lack of personal vision leading to lack of effective personal expression

When I was a recruiter, hiring managers would sometimes call me saying that they couldn’t put their “finger on it,” but the candidate they’d interviewed wasn’t the right fit even though the qualifications were a perfect match. On the flipside, I’ve also observed many candidates get their jobs because they showed a lot of enthusiasm and passion even when they didn’t possess every qualification listed on the job description.

I want to challenge you to think about this question… If you’re not enthusiastic about the job you’re interviewing for, why are wasting your time and the company’s time? No, I’m not trying to be flip or insensitive. I realize that you might just need to get a job to pay the bills, and so you are willing to grab anything that comes along. But do you seriously think that your unenthusiastic attitude won’t be revealed through your body language? Do you think the interviewer won’t be thinking to herself, “This guy doesn’t seem very committed. If I hire him, he’ll be right out the door looking for something he’d prefer to do as soon as the economy changes. I have 15 other applicants as qualified as him.” And she is politely nodding at you while she is calculating how to tactfully end the interview as soon as possible.

It’s time for you to slow down and consider your attitude for just a little while. How are you doing in this area? Before you go out there and start selling the concept of you, you need to be sure you are delivering the concept of you with authentic enthusiasm… and that your body language is delivering it just as authentically.

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Angela Loëb is an author, speaker and career coach. Along with partner, Jay Markunas, she helps people gain clarity and develop successful strategies for career transition. Through their company, Great Occupations, they help job seekers and career shifters by offering seminars, webinars, tele-coaching events and individualized coaching services. Listen to them on The Job Search Boot Camp Show & check out their upcoming events Find A Career You Love & the Job Search Boot Camp Webcast. Find out more about their services at www.greatoccupations.com.