Why Your Comfort Zone Is the Biggest Obstacle in Your Executive Job Search

Key Takeaways:

• Executive job seekers often avoid the networking that produces interviews and default to safer tasks like online applications.
• Building a new habit can take 18 to 254 days (Lally et al., 2010), so waiting until you feel ready is costly.
• A 2022 Science study of about 20 million LinkedIn users found that weaker professional ties can help people move into new jobs.
• A meta-analysis of 47 studies linked structured job-search help to 2.67 times the odds of employment. It did not isolate coaching.
• Executive career coaching adds a plan, practice, and accountability.

Why is Networking So Uncomfortable for Executive Job Seekers?

Networking feels uncomfortable because over the years you have developed habits and behaviors that help you avoid situations that create fear, anxiety, or embarrassment. Your brain naturally seeks to avoid uncomfortable experiences, even when those experiences could lead to something valuable.

Consider what happens when you think about contacting a former colleague. You might worry that they will not respond, that they will think less of you because you are looking for a job, or that asking for help will make you appear desperate.

Rather than face those possibilities, you postpone the call. You tell yourself you will reach out tomorrow. Meanwhile, you spend another hour reviewing job postings or polishing your résumé.

You feel better temporarily, but you have not moved closer to your goal.

Research published in the European Journal of Social Psychology by Phillippa Lally and her colleagues found that developing a new habit can take anywhere from 18 to 254 days, depending on the person and the behavior. The lesson is simple: changing established behaviors takes time and consistent practice.

If you have spent decades avoiding uncomfortable conversations, you should not expect to become a confident, assertive networker overnight, especially if you are trying to do it on your own.

Unfortunately, you may not have months to figure it out. You need a new job, and you need to start generating interviews now.

How Does Fear of Rejection Hurt an Executive Job Search?

Fear of rejection and fear of embarrassment are two of the biggest obstacles to networking, and they cost executive job seekers interviews when they lead to avoidance:

• What if someone ignores your message?
• What if they cannot help?
• What if they ask a question you are uncomfortable answering?

These concerns are understandable, but they can also be misleading. Research examining conversations between strangers found that people often expect these conversations to be more uncomfortable and less enjoyable than they actually turn out to be.

In other words, the conversation you are avoiding may be much easier than you imagine.

More importantly, networking is not about asking everyone you know to find you a job. It is about making people aware of your experience, learning about opportunities, and developing relationships that may lead to introductions and interviews.

Research published in Science in 2022 examined LinkedIn data involving approximately 20 million users. The researchers found that professional connections, particularly certain types of weaker ties, can help people move into new jobs. These connections can introduce you to opportunities beyond your immediate circle of friends and colleagues.

The takeaway for executive job seekers is clear: the more effectively you build and activate your professional network, the more opportunities you create for people to connect you with potential employers.

Submitting online applications rarely yields any results. The few that might come through are often not the ones you really want. Many candidates continue submitting applications and increasing the volume of applications even in the face of clear evidence that it doesn’t work. Applying online is safer because they don’t have to face any of the fears of rejection or embarrassment involved with networking. This is classic avoidance behavior.

Executive job seekers who are willing to move beyond their comfort zones and network consistently give themselves more opportunities to get in front of hiring decision makers.

Why is it Hard for Executives to Change Job-Search Habits Alone?

Most executives are capable, disciplined people. They have built successful careers by solving problems, leading teams, and achieving results.

Searching for a job, however, presents a different challenge. You are operating in an unfamiliar environment, often under considerable financial and emotional pressure. The activities that matter most may be the ones you find hardest to initiate.

You may start with good intentions, only to become discouraged when people do not respond or conversations fail to produce immediate leads. Without a clear plan and accountability, it is easy to return to the familiar routine of applying online and hoping someone calls.

Research supports the value of getting help. A meta-analysis published in Psychological Bulletin examined 47 job-search intervention studies and found that participants receiving structured assistance had about 2.67 times the odds of finding employment compared with those in control groups.

That research did not examine career coaching alone, so it would be misleading to claim that hiring a coach produces a specific increase in your personal chances of success. It does, however, demonstrate that structured help can make a meaningful difference in job-search outcomes.

A professional career coach can help you identify the networking activities most likely to benefit your search, practice conversations before they happen, establish realistic weekly goals, and hold you accountable for following through.

Perhaps most importantly, a coach can help you develop the confidence to take action before you feel completely comfortable doing so.

How Can Executive Career Coaching Help You Break Out of Your Comfort Zone?

At Endeavor Agency, Inc., our executive career coaching helps executive job seekers we understand that finding a new executive position is about much more than preparing a résumé and searching job boards. It requires a focused strategy, effective networking, and the willingness to do things that may initially feel uncomfortable.

Our coaches have helped thousands of professionals navigate career transitions and develop the skills and behaviors needed to pursue new opportunities more effectively.

We help clients move beyond the habits that may be holding them back, build a practical networking strategy, and follow through on the actions needed to generate meaningful conversations with potential employers and people who can open doors.

You do not need to become a completely different person. You need to learn how to use the experience and relationships you already have while developing the confidence to take the next steps.

You also need to do it within the time frame your circumstances require. Your comfort zone reflects what you are accustomed to doing, not what you are capable of achieving.

If your current job-search approach is not generating the interviews you need, continuing to do the same things is unlikely to produce a dramatically different result.

Sometimes the smartest career move is recognizing that you need someone who has helped thousands of others navigate the same challenges and can help you make the necessary changes faster.

Your next opportunity may be closer than you think. Reaching it may require stepping outside the comfort zone that has kept you where you are.

Endeavor Agency's executive career coaching can help you take that step.

Research references:

• Lally, P., et al. (2010). “How are habits formed: Modelling habit formation in the real world.” European Journal of Social Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1002/ejsp.674
• Sandstrom, G. M., and Boothby, E. J. (2021). "Why do people avoid talking to strangers?" Self and Identity. https://doi.org/10.1080/15298868.2020.1816568
• Rajkumar, K., et al. (2022). “A causal test of the strength of weak ties.” Science. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36107999/
• Liu, S., Huang, J. L., and Wang, M. (2014). “Effectiveness of job search interventions: A meta-analytic review.” Psychological Bulletin. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24588365/

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