How to Shine at Work

Whether you have been at your job search for 2 weeks or 2 years, making a career transition is a project that requires all of your talent, concentration, determination, and celebration. You may be using skills that you have not used in years—shameless self-promotion, blatant optimism, and profound courage.

A career transition can be a slow spiral into self-doubt, or it can be another path to creating a great life for yourself. Develop the support structures you need to help you through it:

• Set strong boundaries for your friends and relatives so that they know how to help you. They may believe they are being helpful when they ask, “Have you found anything yet?” but a better way for them to connect with you would be to ask, “How can I help you with your job search today?”

• Watch yourself talk. If you find yourself in a negative mental process, stop and reframe. Envision the way you want your situation to turn out, and do what you can to make that happen.

• Work with a network friend or a coach to define your own who-what-how plan.

• Acknowledge the productivity milestones that are the hallmarks of success. Keep track of your activities and celebrate your actions.

• Create and maintain a strong network. Nourishing the relationships you develop during this process of career transition will not only increase your circle of friends but also keep you in touch with the unpublished job market in the years to come.