Researching You

 People research each other all the time. Join the military, get accepted for most jobs, get the car loan, or pick up a mortgage for a house, are just some of the standard reasons that people will run a background check on someone. We sometimes Google ourselves, and that’s only normal. We are always curious about what others are going to learn about us.

If we know that others are going to be looking us up online, maybe we should get there first and understand what’s being said about us. Now before you start a sentence with, “Sarge, a little paranoid today, aren’t we?” Let’s think about this.

If you know what’s going to be said, you can spin things to be more favorable for you. You can also correct something that may be wrong. Every once in a great while, you should even do a deep dive. Employers are going to use a background verification service if nothing else, just to make sure that your resume is correct. If it has been years since you’ve applied for a job, maybe you should also check yourself out with one of those services. You can find them online for about $39. Knowing is always better than not knowing.

Knowing what others are thinking of you or know about you is minor compared to you knowing and understanding yourself. How do you see yourself? Where do you want to go? What do you want to do? Where do you want to be in 20 years? To be there, where are you going to be in ten? Where in five?

You can start now by taking an inventory of where you are and what you like and do not like about it. Then think of what you would really like to do, and some practical ideas as to how you can get there. If you can think about it and you really want it, you can probably do it. Remember, for the majority of us, the only person who can really stop us is ourselves. And usually, that’s only because we’ve forgotten how much we can actually do if we put our minds to it.

Do not talk yourself out of where you should be over something as simple as the fear of the unknown. Find out about what you want to know. You have to have knowledge and faith in yourself. And if you believe, so will others. Never ever sell yourself short.

I have a five-day minicourse that can help you to take stock of where you are and where you want to go. Best of all, the courses free. It is taught by a chatbot and runs on Facebook messenger. If you would like to try this, please let me know. People who take it seemed to enjoy it.

Thank you for being with me today. I hope to be with you again tomorrow.

Author: Mike Balof

A retired Air Force Master Sergeant, Mike used to lay in bed at night and worry about what would happen if his plant closed or found himself without a job. One day his plant closed. Rather than panic and hysteria (OK, maybe a little) Mike found himself carried away on the adventure of his life. Mike started with the best job he ever had working at Home Depot. He spent 8 years working with job seekers at a local workforce center, helping them to find employment. He then started his own company developing courses, writing books and urging others to follow their own paths into the future. Mike holds a Master of Arts in Adult Education and Training and a Bachelor of Business Management, earned through the University of Phoenix and an AAS degree in Electronics Systems Technology from the Community College of the Air Force. Mike is a member of the Delta Mu Delta Business Honor Society. View all posts by Mike Balof