Fair Time

Fall has always been one of my favorite seasons. The leaves are changing colors, cooler weather is blowing in, football games are being played, the holidays are on their way, and it’s FAIR time! It’s almost like you can feel the excitement in the air.

Do you remember when you were a child and you knew that the FAIR was coming? You started saving your pennies, doing extra chores hoping to get brownie points with your parents, and scheming with your friends about all the amazing things you were going to do while the FAIR was in town.

As we age, many of us tend to lose that youthful excitement over these small wonders of our childhood. The word FAIR starts to take on a whole new meaning for us. We realize that these kinds of FAIRS mean spending money, dealing with crowds, and sometimes other unpleasant hassles.

And the word FAIR takes on an entirely different meaning when applied to Job FAIR or Career FAIR. If we are unemployed, it’s hard to get excited about these events. We see them as just another hoop we have to jump through in the “job market circus”.

The challenge I give myself, and that I pose to each of you, is to dig deep and find your youthful exuberance about these FAIRS, too. Embrace them as opportunities to make strides in your job search.

Just imagine how much more productive one of these events would be if you went into it with an air of adventure, a positive attitude, and the determination to try something new. Step outside of your comfort zone, put your misgivings aside, and turn your focus to walking away with a PRIZE–a new contact, a lead in your job search, or at the very least, that warm fuzzy that you gave it your best shot and perhaps made someone else feel good along the way.

So, what’s stopping you? I double dog dare you to give it a try!

Bobi Cook is a Regional Facilitator for Workforce Solutions in the Houston – Galveston area. She currently conducts job skills seminars throughout the 13 county Gulf Coast region utilizing her MBA and over ten cumulative years experience as a professional educator, quality systems manager within the automotive industry, and small business administrator to help job seekers develop and implement successful job search campaigns.