12 Quotes to Inspire Job Seekers 

Being unemployed, or as many of us pessimists like to call it “being between jobs”, is not a place people like to be.  Going to interview after interview can be exhausting and a little discouraging, but it is necessary if we want to rejoin the working class. To help you push through to the next interview, I have compiled a list of 12 quotes to help you remain positive throughout your job search.

1. “If at first you don’t succeed; try, try again” (W.E. Hickson). Jack Canfield, author of Chicken Soup for the Soul, admits that he was rejected by 145 publishers before he got published in 1993.  If you want something bad enough, you will stop at nothing to get it. That’s the type of passion that employers are looking for.

2. “Whenever you are asked if you can do a job, tell ‘em, ‘Certainly I can!’ Then get busy and find out how to do it” (Theodore Roosevelt). It’s a great way to keep yourself busy while you’re waiting for the callback.

3. “Don’t be afraid to go out on a limb. That’s where the fruit is” (Jackson Brown). Some of life’s biggest surprises are waiting on the other side of complacency.

4. “If opportunity doesn’t knock, build a door” (Milton Berle).

5. “You can’t cross the sea merely by standing and staring at the water” (Rabindranath Tagore).

6. “Forget past mistakes. Forget failures. Forget everything except what you’re going to do now and do it” (William Durant). Don’t let the past rule your future. Instead, use it to create a new future.

7. “The brick walls are there for a reason. The brick walls are not there to keep us out. The brick walls are there to show us how badly we want something” (Randy Pausch).

8. “Even if you’re on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there” (Will Rogers). Knowing what you want to do and doing something about it are two very different things.  Knowing is the first step.

9. “Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass…. It is about learning to dance in the rain” (Vivian Greene). Think about what you can learn from this, how not having a job will make you a better person, and a better employee for this next company you work for.

10. “Go where there is no path and leave a trail” (Muriel Strode). No one wants to follow a follower. Simply put, be the inspiration that you are looking for.

11. “It is never too late to be what you might have been” (George Eliot). Use this time as an opportunity to find your true passion and go for it. There is nothing standing in your way.

12. “Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up” (Thomas Edison) Not everyone is fortunate enough to find their dream job because of the many responsibilities that life has bestowed upon them, but that doesn’t mean you should stop trying.

Refer back to these quotes when you feel like the job hunt is just too much to bear.  Remember why and how you got here, so you can create a new future.

** This is a guest contribution from Dr. Daniel Crosby, the author of “You’re Not That Great: A Motivational Book” and TEDx speaker. This is his 2nd article on the Resume Crusade. Read the first one “12 Tips to Dealing With Difficult People at Work”

And as always, the first step to finding gainful employment is an eye-catching resume. Join the ResumeCrusade. Contact me ‘[email protected]’