Totaljobs.com > Career advice > Latest jobs news > Olympics: Going for gold
Olympics: Going for gold
Apparently in Chinese culture the number eight is linked with prosperity, wealth and success. And with the Beijing Olympics due to start on 08/08/08 China will be hoping this added luck brings them a mountain of gold medals. They'll have plenty of opportunity to win big, with an anticipated 10,000 plus athletes due to compete in a staggering 302 events within 28 sporting disciplines - that will mean lots of girls and guys with bulking muscle and flat stomachs running at light speed and making us all think twice before finishing off the last Jaffa cake.
At totaljobs.com we've identified key areas that both athletes and jobseekers need in order to achieve at a high level.
So, as many of us watch with fascination, respect, awe, and with one eye on the London Olympics in 2012, let's outline what we can learn from the Olympic Games and our star athletes when we're looking for work.
Dedication
Like any of the athletes seeking those gleaming gold medals or the breaking of records, you need to be focussed and disciplined. The difference between gold and bronze could be those couple of days you took off from job hunting and instead watched television or took a trip to the shops. If you're looking for a job try to set daily goals, like applying for a minimum of two or three vacancies a day. You could try using our job search tools. For instance try setting up either Jobs by Email or an Instant Job Match that will match what you're looking for with jobs on the site, sending them direct to your email inbox with minimum effort on your part. Just log in to your My totaljobs account to see how. Remember if you hunger to beat the competition, in applying for that golden job opportunity, and you want to be the best then dedication is really what you need - thank you the late Roy Castle of Record Breakers.
Stamina
You need to meet any setbacks with a sense of determination and not allow any disappointing feedback to deflate you. You have to remember that for the best jobs available you will be in competition with other jobseekers; try to keep in mind that at times job hunting is more of a marathon than a sprint and you require stamina. It pays to stay dedicated, keep filling out those applications and hedge your bets. You should try not to place all your hopes on any one position. Think like former gold medallist and great Olympian Daley Thompson; if you don't win the hundred metres then you'll nail the javelin.
The Eye of the Tiger
Be honest with your CV and the detail on your application, but don't sell yourself short. What all gold medallists have plenty of is a hunger to win and a belief that they can get what they want. So focus on your strengths, develop your key skills and highlight these to potential employers.
Finally, what can we expect from Great Britain? Will some of the luck of the number eight rub off onto the pumped shoulders of our boys and girls? Should we keep our fingers crossed for 8 medals or 88? Whatever the medal hoard, totaljobs.com wishes our athletes all the best of British luck, as we do to jobseekers hoping to run your own race and find that gold medal job!
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