Tip #4: Get comfortable with being uncomfortable
Tip #4: Get comfortable with being uncomfortable
Transform your job search with 20 Job Search Tips in 20 Days
This email is part of a series “20 Job Search Tips in 20 Days”. Every day in December, you’ll receive a job search tip for career changers.
Job Search Tip #4: Get comfortable with being uncomfortable
A lot of the job search process is uncomfortable. So many different actions you have to take, that you might not WANT to do, but you know are important to creating momentum in your job search in the long run.
Actions such as asking for help, talking about yourself, showcasing your work, sharing your opinions publicly, etc. For some people, being more visible can be very scary and uncomfortable, so the job search will be an opportunity to practice skills that are crucial for personal growth, alongside career growth.
In reality, feeling a bit emotionally uncomfortable is a sign of personal and professional growth. It means you are learning something new either about yourself or the world. Feeling somewhat uncomfortable is the vehicle through which you grow.
How to get started getting comfortable with being uncomfortable?
Notice your fears (ex.“I feel afraid to reach out to new people”)
Accept your fears (ex. “I accept that I feel afraid to reach out”)
Reframe feeling uncomfortable (ex. “Even if I feel afraid, I am willing to still reach out to new people”)
Setup consistent, achievable goals every week (ex. “Every week I will reach out to one new person on Linkedin”)
“Research suggests that seeing discomfort as a sign of progress and actually seeking it out can boost your motivation in these situations.” from the article Get Comfortable with feeling Uncomfortable
Step outside your comfort zone
When you step out of your comfort zone, that’s when the magic happens ✨✨
Ways to practice stepping outside your comfort zone:
Reach out to ex-coworkers and alumni to ask for a recommendation on your Linkedin page
Post on Linkedin about ONE win you are proud of in the past week
Commit to posting one new comment a day when scrolling Linkedin
Reach out to ONE new person with a connection request - someone you have not spoken to yet, whose posts you constantly read on Linkedin
Apply to a job that you’re not 100% qualified for but are excited for what the company is building
Taking small steps to build your confidence will take you a long way in getting more comfortable doing new activities as part of your job search.
Activities like networking and posting on Linkedin are more and more important to your career success, at least during the job search. Remember, feeling uncomfortable in showing up publicly is a sign of personal growth - and a necessary part of the growth process.
Let’s look at an example:
Trung is a SWE bootcamp grad with a background in Retail Management. He completed a bootcamp in the summer of 2023 with the goal of pivoting his career into tech.
One area of the career pivot that was new to Trung, was having to share his career journey in a public forum. The value of sharing your career journey in a public space like Linkedin is many. You can build a community of advocates who can help you gain momentum in your job search.
By starting small, he started posting on Linkedin once a week, about the job search process. Then he started posting more often. A few months into the job search, Trung leaned into feeling uncomfortable and started to get more and more comfortable speaking about himself, sharing his journey and inspiring others through his Linkedin posts.
Below are a few examples of his posts:
Trung stepped out of his comfort zone, inspiring others to do the same! Check out all his posts here.
By practicing a new skill such as posting on Linkedin, he found new friends, advocates and even landed interviews from Recruiters reaching out to him. All this support is helping Trung build momentum and continue his career pivot into tech.
To everyone job searching during the holidays… you got this, keep going 🌟
If you missed them, here are the 3 previous tips: