Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was speaking of big problems and big hopes in the struggle for civil rights when he said, “Never succumb to the temptation of bitterness,” but this is wisdom for us all in every area of our lives.
The temptation to be bitter can be strong for a lot of reasons when you’re in a job search if:
- you’ve been laid off or fired, or forced to look for a new job because of problems in your current one
- you’re older and you know that you’re being passed over for interviews because of your age
- you think you’ve been passed over for interviews or jobs because of your skin color, name, ethnicity, religion or background
You can be completely in the right; you can be treated unfairly; the deck can be stacked against you…but your answer is not to be angry or bitter.
(Read: Are you ticked off because you have to get a new job?)
Bitterness will keep you from going after opportunities, and it will make you say things in job interviews that hurt you (trashing your old boss, not speaking in a positive way about failures or setbacks, etc.).
What is the answer? Keep moving. Move on to the next opportunity. Widen your net. Contact more hiring managers. Find the place and the position where you and your skills will be valued.
I think the only way to do this is:
- prepare to show your actual financial value to any company by quantifying the accomplishments on your resume and bringing a 30-60-90-day plan to the interview
- make a big effort to find and contact dozens or even hundreds of hiring managers directly instead of applying for jobs online
So…
Keep moving forward.
Be positive always.
Know your job is out there—you just have to go find it.
Read more here about:
- how to stay positive in a job search
- how to find hiring managers (and hidden jobs)
- how to be your best self in job interviews
Best of luck!