12 Job Search Quotes for Good Luck

By Jessica Howington, Senior Content Manager

There’s much to be said about working hard to advance your career. You are gaining skills and degrees, putting in extra effort, taking on new projects, and plotting your career plan for the next few years. Hard work is a part of all of these things. But has luck ever played a role in your career?

Often, many job seekers find themselves feeling unlucky—like things just aren’t working out the way they had expected. If that’s you, we’re here to help you create job search luck in the face of adversity.

Create Your Own Job Search Luck

We believe that each of us has the same potential to do something significant every day! So, how do we suggest you change your luck? It truly takes a combination of drive, patience, persistence, and job search tips, tricks, and resources to make it happen. And yes, there are chance opportunities that seem to pop out of thin air for lucky job seekers. However, preparation and hard work are still elemental in capitalizing on job search luck.

As the Roman philosopher Seneca once said, “Luck is where opportunity meets preparation.” So to help inspire you on the luck part of the equation, we’ve got 12 quotes to help set the stage for job search luck! Then, keep reading to check out a few tips on how you can incorporate a few of those quotes into your daily activities to create your own luck.

Quotes for Job Search Luck

“Good luck is another name for tenacity of purpose.” —Ralph Waldo Emerson
“I’m a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work, the more I have of it.” —Thomas Jefferson
“The amount of good luck coming your way depends on your willingness to act.” —Barbara Sher
“Good luck needs no explanation.” —Shirley Temple
“Good luck is a residue of preparation.” —Jack Youngblood
“Remember that sometimes not getting what you want is a wonderful stroke of luck.” —Confucious and Dalai Lama
“There are rules to luck, not everything is chance for the wise; luck can be helped by skill.” —Balthasar Gracian
“Luck is a dividend of sweat. The more you sweat, the luckier you get.” —Ray Kroc
“Diligence is the mother of good luck.” —Benjamin Franklin
“Luck is believing you’re lucky.” —Tennessee Williams
“The best luck of all is the luck you make for yourself.” —Douglas MacArthur
“Good luck has its storms.” —George Lucas

How to Make Your Own Job Search Luck

1. Believe in Yourself

Before you can make any progress, you have to believe in your work, yourself, and goals. As Tennessee Williams said, “Luck is believing you’re lucky.” By believing in yourself, you change your mindset from one of struggle to success. Consider setting daily intentions and affirmations to keep yourself positive and believe in your positive job search outcome.

When you’re feeling burned out, stop and assess if you’ve allowed yourself downtime. It’s essential to take breaks and some “me time.” That may be hard advice when you desperately need a job, but creativity and energy aren’t unlimited resources. It’s essential to give yourself time to recharge those reserves.

2. Be Assertive

As MacArthur said, it’s really about “the luck you make for yourself.” Taking a back seat in your job search isn’t going to allow you to steer it in the direction you want to go. Be assertive with what you want and stand up for yourself. Some ways you can do that:

Don’t wait to be found by recruiters. Instead, seek them out.
Reach out to your connections and share your situation.
Actively look for new job postings, and don’t wait to apply to them.
Be confident when delivering your elevator speech.
Initiate communications.

3. Create Goals and Deadlines

To get to where you are going, you need to have a road map. Set goals, deadlines, and expectations to lay your path out in front of you. Then, make sure you stick to your schedule, you meet your expectations, and when you reach your goals, celebrate. Take Youngblood’s advice and create a storm of preparation to generate good luck. Don’t leave your career to chance. Set yourself up for success.

4. Take Risks

A job search is the last place you would likely think of taking risks, but you don’t know what is out there without exploring the unknown. Don’t hold yourself back in your search by worrying about the outcomes. Seize the opportunities that present themselves that will work for you.

A few risks that might pay off in the long term:

Exploring a new career
Discovering new industries
Working for a global company
Going full digital nomad
Trying freelancing

5. Be Intentional

Job search luck doesn’t have to be left in the hands of fate. Taking control of your search, you can make opportunities and find the hidden jobs you’ve been looking for. Some areas to be diligent and intentional in your job searching:

- Update your resume: An updated professional resume tailored to each submission is essential to having job search luck!
- Clean your social profiles: Out-of-date and unprofessional social media profiles can spell disaster for job seekers. Stay active on your social media, and keep it clean and professional to attract recruiters.
- Network: Perhaps you’re not finding success because you’ve been neglecting your network. Make connections and allow people to help you during your search.
- Develop yourself: If you have a few gaps in your resume or feel that your skill set is a bit rusty, consider taking a class or volunteering. Opportunities to develop yourself will help to round out your resume and hook employers.
- Practice: It might sound silly, but it is the perfect time to start practicing for those upcoming interviews even if you don’t have any lined up yet. Take a few times each week to practice greetings or answering interview questions.
- Get creative: Sometimes, you have to think outside the box. Try different keywords, research flexible companies, and even search outside your location during your search. You never know what you will find with a bit of creativity.
- Use FlexJobs: Hands down, FlexJobs is an excellent resource for job seekers. Every job on the site is hand-screened to ensure it is legitimate. Job seekers also have access to skills tests and tools to create a resume profile, making job searching a breeze. Let’s not forget the enormous amount of information, tips, and resources job seekers can find in the articles.

Finding Your Lucky Charm

One of the best ways to find a job that balances your career and work-life goals is with a steady stream of legitimate remote and flexible job listings.

No matter the role, no matter the schedule, the FlexJobs database of legitimate, remote and flexible jobs has something that works for you. Members get full access to our jobs database and so much more. Take the tour and learn more about all the ways a FlexJobs membership supports your job search.

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