14 Quotes by Richard N. Bolles

..in any situation we may ever find ourselves, nomatter how much we feel we are at the mercy of vast immutable forces that are totally beyond our control,we can always find something that is within our control, however small, and work on that. Sometimesthat may only change a little, sometimes it may change a lot. You just never know. But what we do knowis that by working on even that 2 percent, it saves us from a feeling of complete powerlessness.

As most of us know, the proper attitude toward ourselves is called “good self-esteem.” But self-esteem isan art. An art of balance. A balance between thinking too little of ourselves, and thinking too much ofourselves.The name for thinking too much of ourselves is “egotism.

Inventiveness depends upon two habits of mind, which we can adopt and develop: attention andcuriosity.Attention means paying attention.....Curiosity means just that. Endlessly curious. Endlessly asking questions. Endlessly wanting to knowhow, and why?

Call it anything else if you will—fear, anxiety, nervousness, sweating—but “shyness” is the historic word for it.

High tech needs to be complemented by high touch.

Self-introspection is the way to improve any company, any marriage, any nation. And any job-hunt.

Not just one way to describe ourselves, but two ways, at least.Not just one way to hunt for a job, but two ways, at least.Not just one kind of job to hunt for, but two kinds of jobs, at least.Not just one size company to go after, but two sizes, at least.Not just one place we really would like to work at, but two places, at least.

Just because you can’t find them doesn’t mean they don’t exist. You’ve got to change the way you’relooking for them. Because there are always job vacancies out there.

The success of your job-hunt dependson you—with a little help from your friends. You must be in charge of it. You must plan it. You mustdirect it. You must know what works and what doesn’t work. Your job-hunt is by its very nature a“self-directed search.