Be yourself, and strive to recapture the free self-confidence of your childhood. Embrace the person you are, and avoid being overly concerned with what others think. If you cannot embrace yourself, you will never find true happiness as you will always be trying to be someone else.

Several months ago, I was invited to a party...

In this article Harrison discusses that you absolutely and positively need a mission and it is going to change your life. When you find something you are good at, and approach it like a mission, everything changes. A mission is much more powerful than being good at lots of things. Employers want to hire people on a mission. Your career needs to be a mission. This is the most important career advice you will ever receive. The highest state of work is when you are on a mission. The difference between having a job, or career and having a mission is huge. A mission will propel you forward. A mission will bring you everything you ever wanted. A mission will open up opportunities and will transform your life and career. There is nothing more important than a mission. You need to be on a mission.

Someone who wants to succeed in finding a job must understand marketing. Regardless of what you do, your job search is a marketing operation. The more effectively you market yourself, the more jobs you will get, the better jobs you will get, and the more successful you will be. The people who market themselves most effectively are the ones who do the best in their careers.

In this article Harrison suggests that you actually may be safer getting a job without the help of family or friends. It is exceedingly rare that a friend or family member will ever be able to get you a position. They may not even want to help you get a job for various reasons. Their involvement in your job search may actually hurt you. The organization may actually look upon you negatively if you try to use a friend or family member to get a job. So going through a close contact is often counterproductive to your job search. Even if you get a position through a friend or family member, you could harm your relationship with that person in the process. Your friend or family member’s act of kindness may ultimately unbalance your relationship. The risks involved in this kind of job far outweigh the potential rewards.

Avoid complacency, as it can literally destroy your career and your life. You are either moving up or moving down, and complacency will always place you on a downward trajectory. Surround yourself with people who will continually challenge you to become better. Surrounding yourself with mediocre people will introduce mediocrity into your own life; when you surround yourself with people who accept nothing but the best, you are likely to become exceptional as well.

In this article Harrison discusses the importance of networking in a job search. While Harrison has advocated and worked on a varied range of job search tools, he is very clear that use of contacts in your job search continues to be your best bet. Once you’ve identified all your past contacts that can help you in your job search, start re-establishing contacts with them. Update them on your career without letting them know of your job search intentions. Once people find out that you are available, referrals come your way without even your asking for them. Connecting with people may get you your dream job without using any job search service.