By Catherine Thorburn, Senior Consultant
I work with many people going through a career transition, and I hear a lot of what we coaches refer to as “limiting beliefs” come out of the mouths of my clients.
A belief is simply a thought that we hold to be true.
And here’s the thing – it may or may not be true. We often think it’s true because of our own personal experience or because we’ve heard others say it. But in fact, it might not be true at all.
A limiting belief is a thought we believe to be true that is holding us back in some way. Here are some examples of limiting beliefs when it comes to job searches:
“I’m too old. No one is going to want to hire me.”
This thought could very well be true. There ARE employers out there who want to hire people of a certain age. They are never going to come out and tell you that because in most places it’s actually considered to be discriminatory and illegal, but they will look to hire a younger candidate instead of an older one. However….this thought isn’t 100% true because there are companies out there who are looking for and want more experienced workers or workers who are past their family-bearing years and will ONLY consider someone of (shall we say) a certain age of maturity.
“I don’t have any post-secondary education”
Again, it’s true that there may be companies out there that will only recruit those who have a post-secondary education. Just as there are many companies out there who would gladly hire someone who has equivalent work experience.
“I’m out of work. No one is going to want to hire me.”
Tell that to the hundreds of clients I’ve worked with who were once in between jobs and now find themselves happily re-employed elsewhere. Again, yes, there may be some people out there who would prefer to only hire those candidates who are currently working. And there are others who would prefer to recruit those who aren’t working because they don’t have to entice them to leave, and they will more than likely be able to start as soon as the new employer would like them to start – not having to wait until they’ve worked out their notice period. So again, it’s a limiting belief that isn’t necessarily true.
“I was with my previous employer for too long!”
Again, this might be a deciding factor for some employers to not consider hiring you, yet it might be exactly why they decide to hire you! Some recruiters might prefer to see a variety of employers on one’s resume. It can show the candidate is flexible and adaptable to new environments (I must admit, when I was recruiting, this was my mindset). Yet there will be employers who like that you have remained with the same employer. It can suggest loyalty, dedication, and commitment. Again, the thought is limiting if you decide not to act and attempt to look for new work because you think you don’t stand a chance. There will be employers out there who prefer long-serviced employment.
I hope by now you are getting the idea of how limiting beliefs are just that – limiting. For each one we can come up with, there are examples that counteract the thought. We just need to remind ourselves when we think these thoughts that they are not definitive and to not let them get in our own way of succeeding at finding that next great opportunity. A good practice to get into – question your thoughts!