After spending hours, maybe even days, going through every job board, company website, and recruiting resource known to man, you finally spot it: the perfect job. Deep down you know that nothing else out there could even remotely come close to this job because it feels like it’s been designed just for you. Instead of spending more time on those pesky job boards, you decide to throw all of your energy into securing this job, which should be no problem because it’s so perfect for you, right?

Wrong.

According to CAREEREALISM Media Founder and CEO, J.T. O’Donnell, having a “job crush” is extremely dangerous because it causes the candidate to ignore other potential opportunities. “Just like a romantic crush, a job crush is dangerous in that it often leads to heartbreak. Falling hard for one potential job leaves you blind to the possibilities of employment elsewhere.”

While the majority of job seekers have, at one time or another, fallen victim to job crushes, O’Donnell says there are ways to keep these feelings under control so that no opportunity is overlooked. 

Always Assume You Didn’t Get the Job

As a job seeker, you are a business-of-one trying to sell your services to an employer. You should expect to have a lot of competition. Good salespeople never assume they have the sale in the bag. In fact, they assume they don’t have a deal as a way to motivate them to seek as many new prospects as they can. Reminder yourself repeatedly that you must play the numbers. The more potential employers you have, the better your chances you’ll close one.

Provide Yourself with Incentive to Seek Other Jobs

You are going to need to give yourself some serious motivation to keep hunting for work. Set up a reward system that will push you to find more opportunities. For example, for every hour you spend looking for new positions; give yourself an hour of time doing your favorite hobby or activity. You’ll find the hardest part is getting back into the groove of looking. Once you do, you’ll be okay, but it’s that initial step that will require some extra incentive.

Create a Bucket List to Keep Things in Perspective

The fastest way to take your job crush down off the employment pedestal you’ve put it on is to create a list of ten other companies you’d rather work for. There are plenty of fish in the sea. You just need to spend some time fishing! Create a list of employers you admire and focus on what makes them great. You’ll quickly find yourself putting your job crush into perspective. Companies aren’t soul mates. In fact, every job is temporary. A bucket list will help you keep that in mind. Not to mention, it will give you a list you can use to focus your job search.

Reach Out to a Job Search Buddy

Find someone who is also looking for work and agree to be accountable to one another for your activities. This will help you keep your activity level up. Who wants to let down a peer? By partnering up, you’ll force yourself to stay on track and be responsible in your job search.

Have you ever fallen in love with a potential job? What tips do you follow in order to ward off job crushes?

Image used under Creative Commons from epSos.de.