Hi First name / there,

💼🌪️ Career catastrophizing. Have you done it?

 

Staring at my purple New Balance shoes, lights low, in the leather movie recliner, my mind raced. 

 

On the outside? Chill mom with three kids chowing down on movie candy, medium (really: monster) size sodas in hand.

 

Inside, my mind reeled (before I took a beat to chill):

We can do this with our career, too. 

 

Filling your mind with fear is all too easy a road to walk down.

"Fear is a liar" - Zach Williams

 

It's a loud talker over the whispers of truth. It shouldn't rule over you.

 

Catastrophize, coined by psychologist Albert Ellis, is when your thinking jumps to worse-case scenario, with limited info or without an objective reason to worry. 

 

Awfulize, a close cousin, adds “imposing impossible standards upon yourself and others.” (Gulp! 🙋‍♀️) Source: Encyclopedia.com 

 

Do you career catastrophize? Here’s a couple LinkedIn admissions when I shared this idea on the platform:

So, how do you stop going there? Consider these tactics from Psychology Today:

And two from me:

Because preparation is never a bad thing…

What can your career management plan involve?

What truths or tricks do you employ to overcome your worst-case scenario thoughts at work?

HEAR THE LATEST FROM HINGE RESUME

We are masters of the blame game, condemners of the worst kind, us women. We unintentionally keep boxing gloves on the ready, not for exercise, or to beat on others, but to beat up ourselves! 

 

This internal mixtape whirring in our heads is feeding us lies. And we’re buying it, singing its lyrics back to ourselves and moving to its beat. It’s time to disrupt these soul-deep inner thought loops that easily entangle us from living out our full potential and purpose. From our living room to the board room, let’s break down the lies, rather than ourselves, to lean into the truth of who we are.

Resume trends come and go, to accommodate the needs of recruiters, hiring professionals and other people assessing candidates. But you’ll never go wrong (now and probably forever) if you let the following strategy drive the content in your resume from these resume and career experts (Meg Applegate, included 😉).

It's never too late to do something new.

 

We called her Gigi. And she was a trailblazer. I've eaten her dust ever since we met.

Her hiking (and walking) resume was expansive from mini-marathons and trails abroad to national parks (including the Grand Canyon in her 90's 😳).

 

A newbie hiker in her 70's, she was a firm believer it’s never too late to try something new. Take note from Gigi’s life (she passed this year) and don't let uncertain outcomes or fear hold you back from attempting a new endeavor.

 

Remember: "Failure isn't fatal, but failure to change might be" - John Wooden

 

So if you are on the edge of making a move in your work, get clear on what’s next. And start with the basics of what, where, how and why. Once you land on options for your “what” of work, consider where you want to use your skills. I’m talking industry, type of company and work environment.

 

This brainstorm of a list will become your target company list. Similar to an Amazon wish list, bridal or baby registry, these are the companies that fit your needs, wants and values for your next career chapter. And psst… they’ll act as the guideposts for your job search activities, too.

 

I hate to admit I scoured the interwebs for hours for the perfect diaper bag when pregnant with my first (🙄), so you owe it to yourself the same hours of research for your career. 

 

Curate a list of 25-30 companies that hit your criteria for your best place to work. If this task seems daunting, check out the following research resources to get started:

 

 

Initial Prompt: Give me 25 pharmaceutical companies in the greater Indianapolis Indiana area.

 

Follow-up Prompt: Narrow the list down to small to medium size businesses.

 

 

If you’re drowning in dread after reading this list, don’t sweat it. Company research support is a growing service Hinge Resume offers so you can break into your job search without getting into the grime of the research weeds. I’d love to partner with you in this. Hit reply and let’s chat!

 

Where are you at in your career research and readiness? 

 

It’s a joy to grow alongside you,

P.S. 📚CROWDSOURCING ALL BOOK LOVERS: What good books have you read lately? I’m curating a summer reading list for fiction and non-fiction books about women and work. Hit reply and tell me your favs 🥰