The weekly card sessions I played throughout my teens bring back fond memories. Some would say a misspent youth, or time wasted, but I would say time well spent. I had great fun, great laughs, and I learned many important lessons. I have used these lessons as a job seeker, and more recently as a business owner (even though I still see myself as a job seeker). Below I have outlined two lessons, but I am sure you can add many more examples to this list.
If only I listened to Kenny Rogers…
I held onto many bad hands, but should have folded. I guess this was inexperience, denial, and not taking on board the advice from Kenny Rogers – “know when to hold them, know when to fold them”. I did eventually learn this lesson, the hard and expensive way 🙂 Knowing when to fold them is important during job search. Quite often we stick with hands that should be folded. It is important to leave the “denial camp”, and face down what isn’t working. This is often easier said than done! We are all guilty of acting like an ostrich, ignoring the facts in the hope that they go away. Accept the facts, and take action. Your results never lie. If you are not getting the results you want, you must change. Change your strategies/approach to job search, or your attitude, but ensure you change.
You know what they say about a big stack…
I quickly realised that my confidence levels were directly related with the size of my stack. More poker chips increased confidence, openness to taking risks, and reduced the dwelling on loss/setback. This is the “Poker Chip Theory” outlined by Jack Canfield. During job search, you can bring more chips into the game. How do you do this? Revisit your past successes. This will help improve your self-esteem, and confidence. List 100 successes in your life, and relive those moments. I have done this – it works! We have a tendency to focus on the negative. Change this, and start overdosing on the positive. Creating a bigger stack of chips will – increase your confidence during job search, open you to taking risks to stand out in a crowded job market, and help you get over setbacks (like interview rejection) quicker. These are all essential ingredients, when searching in this job market.
Join us for useful poker tips (aka job search discussion and advice) at Measurability Careers & Jobs Club on LinkedIn. Free career events: I will be speaking at GradIreland Career Fair in RDS (Wed 13th Oct @ 3.30) Topic: Job Hunting – Creativity. I have been approached to present at two FREE events in Cork/Limerick (November – t.b.c) – Topic: How to Develop your Online Brand.
