How to Use Positive Thinking for Your Career
Do you want to make a big move in your career or feel more fulfilled with your job? Then, don't overlook the power of positive thinking. Quite often, it's enough to take control of your thoughts and get rid of the limiting beliefs to achieve your goals. Whether you want to get a new well-paying job, pursue a career change or improve the quality of workplace relationships, cultivating the positive attitude can enable you to do all of that and even more.
Today, the experts of our professional resume service are going to reveal how the methods of positive thinking can advance your career. We'll show how to handle negative thoughts and share the techniques to feel more confident.
Pursuing the job you'll be excited about takes more than positive thinking alone. In addition to setting your mind for success, you need to do everything that depends on you to beat the competition. In particular, you'll need an impressive professionally-looking resume. And a professional writer or Resumeperk.com can help you with that. Our team specializes in creating perfectly written, keyword-optimized resumes for all career levels and industries. So, if you need a resume that will truly impress the hiring manager, we are always here to help.
Why pursuing a positive attitude really matters?
Some people believe that the importance of positive thinking is far-fetched. And really, thinking positively isn't the solution for all your career issues. However, if you want to make progress in your career, the first thing you should start with is getting rid of negative thoughts. And here's why.
Positive, affirmative thoughts make us open for new opportunities, whereas thinking negatively limits our growth. Simply put, if you don't believe that you can get this promotion or impress the hiring manager during the interview, you'll be reluctant to try hard and achieve this goal. On the contrary, if you think that this is possible, your brain starts seeking the opportunities to make something happen. And if the goal isn't attainable at the moment, it is likely to find mid-steps that will finally lead you where you want to be.
Use positive thinking for your career: 7 tips
When it comes to your career, positive thinking won't bring you immediate results. However, if you take baby steps and practice it regularly, you'll significantly change your attitude, energy levels and open new opportunities you didn't know existed. Here are the key 7 steps you should take to make a career progression:
- Get comfortable with rejection
The biggest fear among all job-seekers is the fear of rejection. People try so hard to get the job and impress the interviewer that they see each rejection as a tragedy. This mindset isn't of much help in finding a job, isn't it?
Yes, the process of finding a job is stressful, especially if you were fired from your previous job. To reduce this pressure, try changing your attitude towards rejection. Instead of focusing on being rejected, concentrate on the endless opportunities that follow this rejection. Think of how many attractive job options are there and what you can do to be considered for them. This will immediately switch you from the self-beating mode and motivate for moving forward. - Don't let the negative thoughts take over
We all experience negative thoughts, especially when things don't go the way we expected. And this is okay. What you shouldn't do is allow these thoughts to take control of your emotions and actions. If you find yourself thinking ‘I will never get hired by this top company', remind yourself that it's just a thought and move away from it. Replace it with an affirmative statement such as ‘I am qualified enough to be interviewed for this job'. If there are too many thoughts that make you feel uneasy, write them down to analyze what causes your anxiety and negativity. Quite often, it's enough to throw light on these thoughts to reduce their influence on you. - Set small, simple goals
You've probably been here before. You want to achieve something badly, set this big goal to yourself, but it looks so distant that it makes you feel frustrated and discouraged to even attempt reaching it. To avoid this mental trap, break this big goal into easy-to-take steps. For example, if you want to get hired by a Fortune 100 company, analyze which competencies it takes to work there. Then, work on one skill or competency at a time. Network with someone who works for your dream company and can recommend you. And only then write a resume and apply for the job.
Setting small goals and reaching them gives you a sense of achievement and motivate you to move forward. Thus, you are more likely to reach that all-important big goal. - Increase your expectations
To achieve career growth, it's important to constantly raise your expectations. One of the key principles of using positive thinking for your career is giving yourself room for improvement and remembering that the best things are yet to come. Don't settle for a dead-end job and a low pay simply because you believe you won't find anything better. Don't shy away from asking for a promotion if deep down you know you deserve it. If it's been over a year with the company and you aren't getting neither raise nor a promotion, it's time to move on. Setting the high standards and motivating yourself for the constant professional development is what it takes to build a successful career.
Can't have that all-important conversation about a pay raise with your boss? Check out our advice about asking for a raise. - Try journaling
If you feel stressed, confused or overwhelmed with thoughts, keeping a journal is an effective technique to put those thoughts in order. Try writing down your thoughts every day. Or, you can write down how your day went or reflect on any important event. The thing is, when you write thoughts down, it's easier to analyze them than if they soar in your head. Don't have much time to write every day and need tips for busy writers? 10-15 minutes a day are a good time to start. You can also keep an online journal. Maybe, one day you will become popular blogger?
Moreover, keeping a diary enhances your creativity. For more ways of becoming more creative and getting inspired, read our guide: https://resumeperk.com/blog/increase-your-creativity-with-these-writing-hints. - Use the affirmative language
Using an affirmative language might seem a minor issue. Yet, it changes the way our brain works and guide our thoughts into positive pathways. In other words, when you say “I don't have what it takes to get this job”, you aren't even trying to work out the way to get hired. And when you say “I can find a good job where I will be able to grow professionally”, you set yourself to find the solution. This works even if you don't believe your own words. Simply try repeating affirmative statements like “I can overcome this challenge” or “I am perfectly qualified for a promotion”, and soon your attitude will change.
When you're job-hunting, affirmative statements work best hand in hand with a professionally done resume. You can get your old resume rewritten up to the recent standards by our resume copywriters. - Believe in your professional worth
When we are planning an important step in our careers, we often lack confidence. Without the combination of confidence and positive thinking, we can hardly ever pursue what we're after. Moreover, we can even doubt that we deserve it!
To overcome this mental trap, you need to believe in your professional worth. For example, if you see that opening with a company you'd like to work for, don't make excuses why it's too good for you. Apply even if you don't meet 100% of their requirements. To get a confidence boost, create a list of your achievements. Write down all you are proud of in your career as well as in personal life and review this list often to remind yourself that you're capable of great things.
Incorporating these positive thinking strategies might take time. However, the greatest thing about positive thinking is that it instantly changes your attitude. You start seeing opportunities instead of focusing on failures. Your relationships at the workplace change for better as people see your positive and can-do attitude. And, most importantly, your stress levels reduce and you start feeling more satisfied with your work. These are the great perks to start thinking positively, aren't they?
Your motivation and attitude matter more than your previous experience
If you have little professional experience in your target field or your work history wasn't consistent, you might feel that you don't have what it takes to get hired. However, YOU are more than the “Work experience” section in your resume. In this blog, we always recommend the job-seekers to apply as long as they meet the qualifications minimum.
What matters to employers even more than your experience and skills is your personality. If you come for an interview and show a positive attitude, motivation and excitement about the challenges, you have more chances of getting hired than someone with rich experience but low energy levels. After all, the approach to making the right hires has changed. Now it's more important what type of person you are. Keeping a positive attitude during interviews multiply your chances of getting liked by the employer.
...but don't underestimate the importance of a good resume
Although the impression you make during an interview is defining for hiring you, it's a good resume that can get your foot in the door faster. So, in addition to setting goals and working on your attitude, make sure your resume represents you at your best.
At Resumeperk com, we are dedicated to creating top-notch quality resumes for our clients. Your American writer will work personally with you to create a custom resume that makes your qualifications shine. If you already have a resume and are looking for an efficient resume editing service, this is something we can help with too. An experienced resume editor can fix grammar, spelling and style errors so that nothing prevents your resume from getting noticed.
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