A “No Regrets” Job Search

“I have no regrets.”

These words were spoken by a friend of mine when I was 26 years old. He was four years older than me at the time, and as I sat sipping on a cool drink in the screened enclosure of his pool area that was attached to his 5,000 square foot home that overlooked the Indian River in Florida, I naively believed that was very possible.

After all, the pictures that adorned every wall in this home told of a very successful life. There were pictures of him and his family standing on majestic stretches of exotic beaches, photographs of expensive boats and cars they had owned. In addition to these, the home was decorated with extravagant souvenirs from all corners of the planet. The walls of his large office were plastered with certificates of achievements large and small. Trophies and other awards filled every nook and cranny of this palatial manor.

From where I was sitting, I could see the boat that cost more than most people’s homes tied to his dock, His wife, a beauty who could have easily adorned any fashion magazine, seemed to round out the dream life he had created for himself.

No regrets? Sure, I could believe that quite readily.

It’s been 20 years since that sun-drenched afternoon. And in those 20 years, I’ve come to realize what a preposterous comment that was. Since that time I’ve had the honor of sitting across the desk of several titans of industry, as well as the front porches of people who weren’t sure how the rent was going to get paid that month.

And in all of these people, regret was present. Not all regret is monumental, I will concede. Some regrets were as trivial as choosing the wrong tie. Some were as devastating as watching a business empire crumble because of poor decisions.

My old friend doesn’t know it to this day, but that one comment left an indelible impression on me. That’s not to say I myself have lived a life with no regrets since those words were uttered, but I do allow them to help me make decisions in a much more deliberate way. When at a crossroads, whether it be financial, personal, or business, I try to make decisions that will cause the least amount of regret.

Chocolate or vanilla? That’s an easy one.

Dark blue suit or something a little lighter? Let’s look at today’s forecast.

Dessert? No thanks, the 10 pounds of turkey I just inhaled still hasn’t quite settled.

For my next vacation, should I pack mukluks or flip-flops? I’ve yet to rue my decision on this one.

Not all decisions are this elementary and for those of us in the business world, most decisions require great amounts of thought and planning to prevent the wrong decision from devastating, not only our lives and careers, but those lives and careers of others that depend on the right decision being made.

According to an article I read recently, 82,000 jobs are being created per month in this country by people who are making good decisions. Unfortunately, over 8 million jobs have been lost during this recession. At that rate, it will take over 8 years to recoup the lost jobs.

Based on these figures, can you imagine a better time to make the decision to connect with a career professional? You won’t have to regret turning in a sub par resume or showing up unprepared at your next interview when you make the choice to employ the services of those whose only goal is giving their customers an edge in today’s job market.

When times are lean, even folks who have usually made the right decisions in their career path tend to be willing to pull back at a time when they most need to be pushing forward. At the bottom of a hill one is preparing to drive over, no one decides to hit the brakes. No, they increase the throttle to be sure they make it to the top. Resolve will almost always reduce regret.

By Rob Poindexter