What 3 simple steps could increase your mental fitness & make your job search up to 86.67% more effective?
What is mental fitness?
Physical fitness is your body’s ability to cope with and to meet the physical demands of your life.
In the same way, mental fitness is your mind’s ability to cope with and to meet the mental and emotional demands of your life.
Our guest expert, positive-intelligence coach Darren Kanthal, explained it this way. “Mental fitness is your ability to meet life’s challenges with a clear mind, a self-accepting spirit, and positive emotions.”
Does mental fitness even matter?
Yes! Consider these statistics:
In a Dutch study of 223 job seekers, people who learned from failure were 86.67% more likely to become reemployed.
In a University of Missouri study of 232 graduates, students who focused on positive thoughts were 49% more likely to receive either a second interview or a job offer.
In an Iowa State study of 370 graduating seniors, students who felt optimistic were 18% more likely to become employed
As the Iowa State study concluded: “The biggest difference between these groups was not behavioral, but attitudinal. The largest differences between those who had found a job and those who had not were the differences in … outlook. Those who had found a job were much more optimistic about their employment opportunities and had much more confidence in their ability to find a job.”
So what 3 simple steps could increase your mental fitness and make your job search up to 86.67% more effective?
Step #1: “Give it the boot.” (AKA: Control your thoughts.)
The first mental fitness step is to “give it the boot.” In other words, control your thoughts.
Descartes proclaimed, “I think, therefore I am.” And Gandhi said, “A man is but the product of his thoughts. What he thinks, he becomes.”
Science bears out the philosophers. Canadian researchers used MRI brain scans to estimate that, each day, we have about 6,200 complete thoughts (or “thought worms,” as the researchers memorably dubbed them). If about 80% -- or almost 5,000 -- of these thoughts are negative, then of course they impact your job search!
Almost every job-seeker experiences negative thoughts, like:
What if I fail?
What if I’m a failure?
What if I’m overqualified?
What if I’m underqualified?
What if no one will read my resume?
What if no one will hire me?
What if no one will pay me what I’m worth?
As Darren emphasized, too many of us let “The Judge” — our negative thoughts — drive the bus. So what should we do instead? As the British would say, “give it the boot!” That is:
Notice the negative thought.
Ask yourself: Is this thought true? accurate? helpful?
Then shift your focus to a positive thought that is true, accurate, and helpful.
Step #2: “Give it a go.” (AKA: Embrace a growth mindset.)
The second mental fitness step is to “give it a go.” In other words, embrace a growth mindset.
I know how to ski, but 2 winters ago, I decided to learn how to snowboard with my 14-year old daughter. If you’ve seen snowboarders on the bunny hill, you can picture how this went: falls, tumbles, spills, and stumbles. So what kept me going? This phrase: “I’ll give it a go.”
Obviously, I didn’t expect to be Shaun White on my first run down the bunny hill. So every time I fell, I could tell myself: “It’s OK. I’m learning. I’ll get back up, and I’ll give it a go.”
Clearly, it’s much harder to job search, than it is to learn how to snowboard. But we’re far harder on ourselves when we fall or stumble while job searching -- than we’d be if we fell while learning how to snowboard.
When you’re job-searching, it’s inevitable that you’ll fall, stumble, or mess up. Perhaps you’re learning a new skill, a new program, or a new technique. Or perhaps you’ve had to pivot, and you’re applying your old skills to a whole new industry.
Whatever the case, be kind to yourself, and embrace a growth mindset. When you fall, tell yourself: “It’s OK. I’m learning. I’ll get back up, and I’ll give it a go.”
Science bears out the benefits of “giving it a go.” In a study of Turkish women over age 40, those who were trained to adopt a growth mindset were 79.31% more likely to become reemployed.
As a result, Darren urged us to ask ourselves: what step in my job search lies just outside my comfort zone? Is it asking my friends for a list of 2-3 people whom it would be helpful for me to connect with? Is it practicing my interview answers with Aunt Sally, then listening to her feedback? Is it approaching for an expert for an honest opinion on my resume?
However you answered, remember: if you succeed, great. But if you fail, it’s OK. You’re learning. You’ll get back up, and you’ll give it a go.
Step #3: “Give yourself a hand.” (AKA: Foster a sense of self-efficacy.)
The third mental fitness step is to “give yourself a hand.” In other words, foster your sense of self-efficacy.
Psychologists define self-efficacy as the internal belief that you have the ability to meet, to overcome, and to succeed at the challenges of life.
How high is your sense of self-efficacy? (Find out with this quiz.) And why does that matter? Consider this study of 188 immigrants in the Netherlands: those with a high sense of self-efficacy were 15% more likely to become reemployed, than those without.
If your sense of self-efficacy is low, take heart. Self-efficacy is malleable, and now that you know about it, you can grow your belief in your ability to meet, overcome, and succeed at the challenges of life.
Whatever the obstacles, “give yourself a hand.” Acknowledge each step: you did that! Celebrate even small victories: look what you accomplished! By doing so, you’ll remind yourself that:
When I face difficult tasks, I can accomplish them.
In general, I can achieve the outcomes that matter to me.
Even when things are tough, I can perform quite well.
And finally …
For 20+ years, we’ve helped clients advance their careers, both through positive-intelligence and mental fitness coaching, as well as through award-winning resume & LinkedIn profile writing. How can we help you?