Do You Treat Your Career Like a First Date?

First date.. Career… You heard me correctly!

Do you treat your career like a first date?

I remember what it was like to be single. That was over thirty years ago but I remember the awkward feelings of trying to find someone who would just go out with me on a date.

When I graduated from high school I was 6 feet 4 inches tall and a mere 145 pounds. I had a big head of red hair. I was no chick magnet!

I was an awkward nerd.

When I asked a girl out, I was just hoping not to be rejected.

When I got a date, I was just trying to make a good impression. Was she the right girl for me? I was not worried about that I just wanted her to like me.

Does this sound familiar? It should because this is how many of you treat your job search.

• You scour job boards looking for a date…. oh I mean a job
• When you find a girl….I mean a job that meets your requirements you send in your resume and pray you will hear a response
• When she calls…. I mean the recruiter calls you put your best foot forward hoping not to get rejected
• When you get the first phone interview you especially put your best foot forward hoping not to get rejected
• When you get the first interview you put your best foot forward… you get the picture

Are you concerned that this might not be the job for you? Heck no! You just want to get the the next step!

Your job search is just like dating! You have to date to get married. Not every date turns into marriage. In the job search you have to interview to get the job. Not every interview turns into a job. Half of all marriages end in divorce.

Your career is very much like a marriage. It is about finding common ground, compromises, happiness, successes,….

Have you gone on a date that you just wanted to walk out? I hear there are strategies for that now.

Have you gone into an interview prepared to ask all of the right questions? Is this the right job for you?

Do you even know what the right job for you is?

What kind of boss do you want?

What kind of team? How do you want to be rewarded?

Stop treating you job search like the dating game!

Have you taken the job and suddenly realized what have I gotten into!

If this sounds familiar, please share this with your colleagues, friends and family via the share buttons at the top!

This post originally appeared on the Career Pivot Blog in December of 2012

Marc Miller is the founder of Career Pivot, which helps Baby Boomers design careers they can grow into for the next 30 years. Marc authored the book “Repurpose Your Career: A Practical Guide for Baby Boomers.” You can follow Marc on Twitter or Facebook.