When One Door Closes, Another One Opens

Like the saying goes, “When one door closes, another one opens, and so do job opportunities open up when you leave one construction job or career. Many people who are downsized or let go from their former company, do not grasp this concept. They spend a long time looking at the door that just closed behind them. They are resentful and angry and they let everyone in earshot know. Don’t let this happen to you.

What these individuals don’t realize is that when they spend too much time in this stage of recovery, they are wasting precious time. This time and much of their financial resources could be used for more productive activities like developing and implementing a strategy to find an even better construction position.

Phillip J. Daunt suggests, “The next time you see yourself faced with a daunting problem, choose to think of it as an opportunity for personal growth and positive change. Chances are that you will have more energy to deal with the circumstance or situation before you, and you will be surprised at how positive the outcome will be—just because you have chosen to embrace an opportunity instead of dealing with a problem.”

Zig Ziglar is fond of using the term, the difference between being “bitter” or “better” is the “I” (that is you). You (the “I”) must decide that this is an opportunity, and a chance to move along the road of life, as opposed to getting stuck in a pothole. So what are some ways to take advantage of your new found opportunity? One suggestion is to start looking at yourself like you are president of your own company, “You Inc.” As president, your job is to do an inventory of your strengths and weaknesses. From there, decide what qualities and skills sets you have to promote and offer to a future employer.

Next decide what you can do to strengthen your weak areas and take follow through action. Maybe it is a set of online classes or books you can purchase to build up any areas in which you are deficient. If the biggest room in the world is the room for self improvement, why do so many people resist doing it? If you want to be one of the few who land a final interview, then you need to do what most people are not willing to do. Properly done, improving your skill sets will always give you an added edge in the job market.

Finally, to take advantage of potential opportunities, you must stop thinking like a loser. A loser is always pining abut the past and the doors that have closed. Start thinking like a winner and look for and find opportunities in the doors that have opened.

Tom Borg is a consultant in leadership management, team building and customer service. Please see more of his blogs at constructionjobforceblog.com and csjobsblog.com. To view additional job postings go to Nexxt