Written by Canadian Job Surfer 
NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTION IN THE JOB MARKET
BY: KAMAL HYLTON
Facing the turn of another year, this feels like a perfect time to take stock of where we are in all phases of life, including the job market. Whether you are a job seeker, an intern or an employee looking to move up the ladder, there are areas everyone can look to fine tune and become better at overall.
At Job Surfer, we wanted to give three suggestions you may want to begin tackling in 2016.
FACING FEARS/PRESSURES HEAD ON:
Fear and pressure are very tough to address but are a reality for anyone, regardless of where they find themselves within the job market. Dealing with fear or pressure is purely mental. Convincing yourself there is nothing to fear, whether it’s during a job interview, major presentation or employee review is far more difficult than others. In Dr. Susan Jeffers book Feel The Fear And Do It Anyway, she points out the five truths about fear:
- The fear will never go away as long as I continue to grow
- The only way to get rid of the fear of doing something is to go out and do it
- The only way to feel better about myself is to go out and do it
- Not only am I going to experience fear whenever I’m on unfamiliar territory, so is everyone else
- Pushing through fear that comes from a feeling of helplessness is less frightening that living with it
When these aspects are truly understood, addressing fear becomes easier overtime. Accept that fear or pressure will always be there when looking to flourish within an ultra competitive environment and create a positive setting to train your brain. Attack fearful situations head on and with a positive mindset by using helpful tools like motivational quotes or positive affirmation to reinforce that growth is positive and that controlling the small things will impact the big things.
BECOME A BETTER COMMUNICATOR:
Social media, video chatting and texting, without question, has made communicating faster and easier, allowing companies and employees to collaborate and communicate more efficiently. However, this convenience has also come at a price. I understand that many people find it difficult to communicate and converse at a high level. As someone who isn’t naturally talkative, this has been an ongoing struggle for me personally forcing me to take the drastic step of removing myself from social media altogether. While it has presented its own set of challenges and taken a little getting used to, I have found myself becoming more comfortable when communicating face-to-face, doing more reading and becoming a better overall writer. Abstaining from social media isn’t for everyone and I’m not recommending it as a cure all, but it has worked for me as I look to become a better communicator in 2016.
Social media, video chatting and texting is the way forward in modern business, but it will never be a full replacement for strong communication skills. Being able to hold your own in face-to-face communication helps tremendously when interviewing for jobs, networking at events or dealing with clients/customers and can ultimately be the difference between you being hired/promoted or not.
INSTITUTING MORE BALANCE:
This is the toughest resolution to tackle in our busy lives today, being able to slow things down and put the proper amount of focus and attention on all the different aspects of our lives. Many of us are guilty of getting too wrapped up in work and careers, taking work home with us, committing to a lot of overtime or in the case of job seekers putting too much pressure on ourselves to find work.
Whether it’s taking on new hobbies, creating new relationships, sacrificing time through volunteer work or just finding time to relax, having a more well-rounded life will have a positive impact on your career.
From everyone at Plaid Zebra Publications and JobSurfer.ca, we’d like to wish you Happy Holidays, Happy New Year and much success in 2016.