“Plans are useless, but planning is indispensable.” - President Dwight D. Eisenhower, 

 

Recently, I sailed my boat down the east coast from Stamford, Connecticut to Fort Pierce, Florida. On this long journey, I learned a great deal about planning, execution, patience, dealing with setbacks, pivoting… which are all things that are also quite relevant to a job search.

 

President Eisenhower’s famous quote above on planning is as true in career transitions as it is in war and on a sailboat voyage as well! 

 

Every day my crewmate, Marc, and I would plan for the following two days …

 

… and every two days, variables would change and we would have to revise our plan.

 

So being emotionally unattached to a plan, keeping an open mind to pivoting, and having a  heartfelt commitment to the overall outcome, were critical keys to our success.

 

This is not unlike the job market. It ebbs and flows, shifts and changes. So, to best position yourself for success in landing a job you’ll love, you need to practice being more adaptable than ever -  to revise your plans and stay more focused on the result rather than stuck on any one opportunity or application. 

 

Being open to help

 

Over the prior summer, in my familiar home port, I frequently took the sailboat out alone, or with inexperienced passengers, so I had to dock my boat single-handedly!  And I got very good at it.

 

On the longer journey, however, as I was docking the boat in a new port every evening, I found that having support, and having a crewmate, made the difference not only in the physical execution of tasks but also in the personal connection and support I received.

 

My crewmate was always there to help me, even if he didn't follow instructions perfectly.

 

He was there to share in the experience of many successful moments and help figure out how to get out of situations when we were not going in the direction we had hoped (one time, we  actually got pinned to a dock due to a strong, perpendicular wind).

 

I can easily say that part of me wishes I could have seen how I might have handled some of these experiences on my own.  

 

Sometimes I had to trust someone on the dock to catch the lines - a stranger who may or may not respond to me in a way I could predict. 

 

Of course, I had the choice to pretend that they weren't there and try to do it myself, but I made it my mission to communicate each time with someone I may not know well and to trust in his or her intention to provide a helping hand.

 

About half the time I nailed the docking with grace and ease, looking like a pro. The other half of the time, I needed to back out and try again, all along learning how the wind, the current, and the people would have a different effect on the outcome.

 

Thankfully, there were no injuries or damage to my boat or any docks in the two-month-long voyage!

 

There’s no doubt having the support and collaboration of other people were contributing factors to my track record.

 

How this relates to job hunting

 

Having crewmates and receiving support on a boat is a lot like job hunting: you may feel like you can simply do it on your own, and many people have.  Having help, however, is game-changing and has a big impact on the results of the long journey. 

 

It may be difficult to trust others who may have opinions that are dissimilar to your own. What if they bring a fresh new perspective and may see things you are unable to see? What can you discover from someone’s opinion about your resume, even if you’ve already made a half-dozen revisions?

 

Can you expand the breadth and depth of how you present yourself, or do you need fresh eyes to help you describe yourself in the best light for a job you'll love?

 

Of course, my team and I are here for you if you’d like an experienced, professional crew to assist and ensure safe passage to new shores in your career.  If you’re curious to know how we would assess your resume, what we might do to refine your LinkedIn, or if you’re facing any rough water you’re navigating related to managing your career, contact us.

 

We’re very proud of saying “we’re here for you,” because we mean it!  Take a look at our credentials and examples of our work and you’ll be able to schedule a career vision and strategy session for yourself - go to: www.betheonebest.com/resume

Until next time, as we say on the water, fair winds!