What's on the Soundtrack to YOUR Job Search?

[Dave Jensen]

I'm working on a tough project today, one that needs a great deal of effort and a lot of sweat equity. I've got my bluetooth speaker cranked up, and it struck me that we all have music that means something to us when we're working on something important. What I'm doing today is not unlike the effort you need to make in finding a job. So tell me, what would get you invigorated and ready to face those elements of distraction and negativity? What's the music of YOUR job search soundtrack?

Mine is Tom Petty's "Won't Back Down." Here's a sample of the lyrics. [Note: Must be played loud].

Well, I won't back down
No, I won't back down
You can stand me up at the gates of hell
But I won't back down

No, I'll stand my ground
Won't be turned around
And I'll keep this world from draggin' me down
Gonna stand my ground

And I won't back down
(I won't back down)
Hey, baby, there ain't no easy way out
(I won't back down)
Hey, I will stand my ground
And I won't back down

Well I know what's right
I got just one life
In a world that keeps on pushin' me around
But I'll stand my ground



Dave Jensen, Moderator

[Rich Lemert]

I'm the exact opposite. If I've got something I really need to 'crank down' on, I have to avoid any music. Anything like music that will attract my attention is going to distract me. The only time I can have music going is when I'm doing something physical and mindless.

[Dave Jensen]

I'm the exact opposite. If I've got something I really need to 'crank down' on, I have to avoid any music. Anything like music that will attract my attention is going to distract me. The only time I can have music going is when I'm doing something physical and mindless.

Thanks Rich - It's amazing how different people are in this regard. I love all kinds of music, but when trying to move things forward, I have to have upbeat bouncy stuff playing in the background. It's great the way that bluetooth mode works on the phone because you can have it going nice and loud, but it stops when the phone rings or when you pick it up to dial. I love technology!

Dave

[D.X.]

I'm with Rich,

I was however the Person in the lab that always had the Radio on to some Station, usually NPR playing sorta Americana Music, i.e. Dylan, James Taylor and others in the more folk Scene. Before that in college more classic and hard rock even some 90's grunge, enter Tom Petty, Aerosmith and well the whole laundry list of that era.

But over the years i've grown to appreciate silence especially with focused on Projects such as Job searching or even doing my Job, and life. Sad to say there is no Soundtrack to the last 10 to 15 years of my life. I'm...boring.

Dx

[Caroline Ritchie]

I need silence or music with no vocals when focusing intently on a project. Depending on my mood, I'll either embrace the silence or listen to the 'Classical Goes Pop' Pandora station. In other situations, if I need to feel empowered (eg, during a tough workout or at the start of what I expect to be a rough day), I love Hall of Fame by The Script.

[Dave Jensen]

Music, for me, sets the stage for whatever I want to get accomplished. I may kick off a busy day with some roaring Tom Petty, but I'll shift to Mozart when I'm actually in-process with that work.

I've long felt that I could be served wonderfully by some very careful playlist development, where I take music of one type or another (my favorites) and build the playlist to stoke one particular mental state. There's music that makes me more creative (for writing fiction), there's music that charges my adrenaline, just as there's music for just about every emotional state. But what a huge amount of work that would be to catalog it all and make playlists of this sort. Goes into the "Wish I had time" list . . .

Dave

[PG]

I use a two step approach and I like music for the first step. That first step is not about actually Writing applications or anything like that but instead of thinking through the strategy, what do I actually want to do, why do I want to do it, how can I do it, in a job search setting what companies would offer potential paths forward, what routes are available in the Company I am working for now etc.

For this step I prefer classical music. My exact choice depends on what I want to achieve and my current level of stress etc.

In my second step that is actually for example writing an application I usually prefer silence.