Getting through a slump

We’ve all had them – a period of time when even giving our best effort things don’t go our way. We just don’t get the results we’re used to or expect. For the person looking for a new job, it can damage self-confidence and even lead to feelings of hopelessness.

I heard an amazing statistic on the Mariners broadcast the other night. Yes, watching my beloved and currently slumping Mariners. Before Felix Hernandez even took the mound, former pitcher Bill Krueger said “I wonder how he’ll be if he doesn’t have his ‘A’ game today.” Then he explained that starting pitchers have 30 starts a year, and probably only have their most powerful stuff for 5 or 6 of them. The mark of a real champion is how they pitch in the other 25 games – where they can’t just dominate, but have to “chew up” innings staying out of trouble. They need to draw on resources beyond their obvious talent, as we all do at times.

I’m reminded of another often quoted baseball equation: that every team in the majors will win 60 games and lose 60 games. The difference between champions and losers any season is how each team plays their other 42 games that could go either way.

So much of baseball is mental preparation, belief and attitude – as is so much of winning the job game.

Learning from baseball, here’s my top ten strategies to work through a job search slump:

1. Check your expectations. Are you really in a slump, or are your expectations unrealistic? When I ask clients who say they are slumping to list how many positions they have missed, it’s almost always far fewer than it feels like. They may have only applied to 1 or 2 jobs, but “felt like a perfect match” for them. They are not in a slump. No matter who you are, it is an unrealistic expectation that you’ll get every job you apply for. There are just too many variables out of your control to let yourself feel let down if you don't defy odds that apply to everyone!

In many ways the job search is a numbers game. The timetable isn't a predictable 162 games, but it can be unrealistic to assume that in a typical season you need to play fewer games than others do to win. There's irony in the fact that preparing as if it will be 162 games can shorten your season more than playing every game as if it can be your last. Play all your games to the best of your ability, accept that you’ll have 60 wins and 60 losses - and know that giving your best will influence the 42 that can be swayed.

2. Set interim goals toward your objective. Knowing that no one wins them all, baseball teams set their goals at winning 2-4 game series, home stands and road trips. Set and stick to interim goals, like making a certain number of contacts per week or applying to a set number of jobs per day.

3. Take extra batting practice. Throw some mock interviews into your routine. Apply to a few more postings that you would normally bypass. I find that people frequently filter postings based on incorrect assumptions – and miss opportunity. You can always filter later - get in the game more by taking extra swings.

4. Brush up on your basics. Slumping hitters get coaching on their stance and timing, and review tapes of their best performances. Remind yourself of past successes to rebuild your confidence. Really re-read your resume, thank you’s and kudos. Visualize your wins and let your body remember what it feels like when you’re at your best and everything is going your way.

5. Don’t overanalyze. Don’t assume that everything you are doing is wrong. It’s easy to get buried in changing every detail - majoring in minors. Remember there are too many variables you can’t control to assume it’s any one thing. If you’ve had success with your resume in the past, don’t overhaul it – or worse yet, continually tweak it to the point where you don’t know which one was sent each time - just because you haven’t gotten interviews the last three times you’ve sent it in.

6. Shake it up. Instead of swapping out the whole roster, the Mariners move hitters around in the batting order a bit. Refresh rather than overhaul by tweaking a small thing or two. Pitchers go for location rather than power. If you’ve been relying mostly on networking, spend more time on postings. Or vice versa.

7. Give it a rest. Bench yourself for a day to break the pattern and refresh your attitude and thought process. Either really rest, or focus your attention somewhere else productive. I like to purge and organize.

8. Let off some steam. Ok, NOT in the same way Richie Sexson did the other night - directly at your opponent or anyone else. Maybe through rigorous exercise or screaming into a pillow. I like to pull weeds.

9. Remember that everyone slumps - even world champions. Maybe you’re right where you’re supposed to be. This one is hard, but if there was a lesson for you in your current situation, what would it be?

Sometimes we are doing everything right and need a reminder of patience, diligence, and investing for longer term rewards rather than expecting an immediate result. Sometimes we hold ourselves back from what we say we want, because deep down we know we really need to address something else in our life first.

10. Change coaches. For most people in a job search, this means quit attempting to coach yourself and add outside counsel to your team - to help you define and execute on the steps above and more.

Changing coaches might mean listening to and following the coaching being given. Mariner boo-birds are calling for Bill Bavasi’s and/or John McClaren’s removal. Savvy fans realize that it is the players that are not executing on the coaching being provided, so removing McClaren right now wouldn’t magically end the slump. Only the players can do that for themselves.

I have one more point: never stop believing. Go after your dreams and go M’s!