Marathon Training and Job Hunting February 13, 2010

As anyone that follows me on Twitter can tell you I love running and I’m training for my first marathon. On top of that I am working at a deli and looking for a job to launch my career. During my hour run on Monday I realized how marathon training and getting a job are similar. Hey, these are the things I think about when I’m on a treadmill for an hour watching people ski. Crazy? Yeah, I know. Here’s how I connect the two:

Getting the right gear – For running you have to find shoes that fit right so you have the right support and you don’t get blisters. You also need to have shirts, shorts and/or pants that are weather and activity appropriate so that you’re comfortable, protected from the elements and supported in all the right ways. The same goes for what you’ll wear for an interview. You need dress shoes you can walk in (ladies, you don’t want to be falling over because your heals are too high). You’ll also need dress shirts and skirts/pants, or a trusty suit. I recommend a trusty suit because it’s always better to over dress than to under dress when you’re interviewing.

Stretching and Warming up – You have to stretch and warm up your body to help prevent injury. There is nothing worse than getting a twinge that turns into a pain…that then keeps you out of training for weeks all because you skip stretching (I’ve been there, sadly). You warm your body up differently based on the workout you’re going to do also. You may do more stretching and jogging to get ready for a speed workout than you would for a long an low run. This is like the research/preparation part of getting ready for an interview. You always want to have a few good questions to ask in the interview, know a handful of facts about the company you’re interviewing with and be able to tell the company what you can do for them. This step makes a world of difference when you walk into an interview.

Training – Before you can run any race, 100m or a marathon, you have to train. If you don’t train either you won’t reach your goals or you’ll get hurt. Neither one is very fun. As far as finding a job goes this part really isn’t fun. You have to apply to tons of jobs, edit your resume, get business cards, interview for jobs you don’t really want, patiently wait, and get told “no” or “we’ve selected a candidate blah blah better fit blah blah, good luck in the future.” No one likes being told no or going through the long process of searching and applying for what seems like a million jobs. If you think about it though, it’s going to be worth it. You will learn in every interview you go to, every cover letter you write will get better, you’ll get more comfortable with phone interviews, and hearing “no” will end up being a step closer to the yes you want.

Friends – In training your friends can be your accountability partners, training buddies, #1 fans, or amazing motivators. The same goes for your job search, except it’s your network. Expand your network, and make friends in the industry you want to work in. Make friends with people that can help you put out a stellar resume or give you great interviewing tips. Your network will help make your job search so much more productive than if you try to do it on your own.

Race Day – Everything you’ve been training for leads up to race day. Your first race or your last race…or some race in the middle…this is it. You run your race and feel amazing. You’ve finished your race, you’re in line for a free beer or a massage, and all of that training is worth it. If you’re like me, you’re ready to sign up for six new races at the point (at least I was after a half marathon). In the job search, after X number of interviews and X months of being patient you finally get a yes. Or, you get two, three maybe four yeses if you hit the jack pot! Congrats! YOU are the one that gets to say no. All of your efforts are worth is for the one yes you’ve been waiting for. Even if those yeses aren’t quite what you want, keep going. You know you can do it. You know you can get a yes, and you know you can be the one with the power to say no. But don’t settle for anything less than what you want.

Celebrate- After the big race go celebrate your accomplishment. Go get a massage, a fancy dinner, take a 4 hour nap or drink a beer. you’ve earned it. The same goes for getting a “yes, we want to hire you.” Even if it’s not exactly what you want…celebrate. You got a yes, and one thing I learned from being in sales is that when you get that first yes….good things keep coming. So, celebrate that yes and stay focused if you’re still looking.

Advertisement