Week two begins.

I know, I know, on Monday I said "week two begins," but that was week two of the job search. This blog started a week ago today. So there we go. Anyway, however you want to count it, I'm still just beginning my job search, and I taking today to remind myself not to fall into either of two dangerous and complementary traps: cockiness and complacency.

I love writing this blog. I like putting my words out there for an audience, and I love getting comments back. I've been getting some great ones, both here and on LinkedIn. It's really gratifying to know I've sparked discussion. It's also really gratifying when someone finds my words of enough value that they want to add me to their LinkedIn network. That says to me that either they're willing to help me in my search, which is wonderful, or they think I can help them in theirs, which is flattering.

In addition to the new LinkedIn contacts, I've gotten a few requests for resumes. Wow. That's even more flattering. Companies in my industry seeking out my resume? Oh, yeah. I mean, I must have it going on, right? 

Easy, there, tiger. First, the cockiness: nobody's that good. Just because someone wants to see a resume, doesn't mean they want to hire you. It means they want to know more. You've already gotten a toe in the door, the resume is the rest of your foot. You've still got impress them enough that they'll invite you the rest of the way over the threshold.

Second, the complacency: this is early days. You can't throw a couple of resumes out there, brush off your hands, and say, "Well, that takes care of that." Finding a job is a job, and you have to work at it every day. If you slack off at a paying job, you don't get paid that week. If you slack off on a job search, you don't get paid ever.

That's a sobering thought, and that's what I remind myself whenever I start to think this is going to be easy.