Determination in the Job Search Gets You Far

Call it what you will—persistence, determination, toughness, tenacity, mule-like stubbornness. By any name, it’s the single biggest determinant of job-search results. No job-search strategy trumps a person’s sheer ability to keep at it.

Why is that? What makes it hard to persist? And what can you do about it?

The single biggest problem you face as a job seeker is not finding the typos in your resume or selecting the right font. It’s not deciding if you should go with the red tie or the blue tie for an interview, or figuring out what type of handshake makes people trust you. Ultimately, it’s not even finding the right job openings.