Recognizing Job Search Distractions

By David Shultis

Whether you’re a veteran of the job search process or this is your first go at it you’re going to learn something very quickly – it’s easy to get distracted with activities that can take you away from your search objectives.

Some of the obvious ones that all of us might be familiar with are:

•  A spouse who may now have more access to you (or believe they have more access).
•  Children – with mommy or daddy spending more time at home it’s easy to get off track, plus it’s a pleasant distraction.
• Errands – things that might normally have been able to fit in before/during/after work or on a Saturday or Sunday now seem to be very easy to address during the hours of a search.
• Responding to job postings – while this could be perceived as part of your search, the distraction here is like click bait – drifting away from your focus to start viewing postings that may have nothing to do with your specific career pursuit.
•  The usual collection of social media apps – Facebook, X, LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube, etc.

Having said all that, when I think of distractions to a job search, I think there’s another level, and it’s worth watching out for these, because they can be much more detrimental than any of the ones on the list above.

Opportunities that are outside of your career lanes

If your position of 3, 5, 10, or 25 years has been eliminated you can go in two directions. The first is to stay with what you know and focus all your energies on finding similar work in a similar company. The second direction you can go in is to believe that you can do anything (now that you’re “free”). After all, aren’t we conditioned to believe we can do anything? Of course, in theory, we can. But does that mean we should? Falling into this category are a few of my favorites:

•  Insurance / financial service sales.
• Multi-level marketing opportunities.
•  Contract positions (when you need a full-time W-2 position).
• Franchising opportunities.

All of these roles provide value in their own way. The issue is if you’ve never had any interest in some of these areas, deciding that you want to pursue a career in insurance (for example) can be quite a time commitment. Regardless of how supportive your loved ones and friends may be this type of pursuit may actually be a distraction that takes you away from where you should be heading (yes, I’ll admit I’m speaking from experience on this one).

Pursuing positions that you believe you can do, but don’t have the experience for

I will grant you that several job descriptions may be written very poorly and are not representative of the work that needs to be done. However, there is a reason that the company listed the requirements – THEY DO NOT WANT TO TRAIN YOU. So even though you might be congenial and get along fabulously with everyone, if you don’t know (as an example) how to use Salesforce.com and HubSpot marketing automation software you’re going to have a problem. Unfortunately, applying for jobs these days is so inviting that it’s not hard to find positions that you would be a real stretch for with the hopes that the screeners will see something magical about your background and invite you to interview.

Spending too much time in networking groups?

No one disputes the value of networking. What I’m referring to here has to do with the amount of time that you invest. In New Jersey there are a number of groups that meet on a regular basis. Many now meet virtually, but there was a time when these groups met in person. It was possible to attend one or more events just about every day of the work week, and sometimes on Saturday. By adding virtual events you can now attend events from all over the country. Like anything you need to assess the value of what you’re getting out of these meetings versus the time you’re devoting to attending them.

In Summary

Determine the lanes you want to pursue, evaluate how much time you’re willing to devote to deviation, and, most importantly, make sure you can apply the discipline you need in order to course-correct if you start drifting off in a direction that seems to offer a low percentage chance for success, taking you away from your real focus.

About the author:

David Shultis is a B2B marketing and product management professional currently seeking to return to a position. He lives in Freehold, NJ with h wife of 30 years. When not in pursuit of his next opportunity you can him biking in and around New Jersey (or other states), as well as trying to get his walking in each day.