There are many different factors that could be considered “the secret” to success but they’d only be a factor in the final result. When you think about it, all the best resumes, cover letters, and knowledge won’t help you get a job if you aren’t consistent in applying for the job. Nothing replaces that foundation of persistence in completing any project.
What if you’ve been applying all the places you can think of and are not hearing back from job applications? It could be your resume. Or it could be something else that a professional career coach could show you. But giving up will almost certainly guarantee failure, and regrouping to try again will increase your chances of success.
A long time ago, I heard a funny story on the radio that illustrates what I am trying to say. The scene was a high school football game and one of the players made a terrible mistake on the field just before halftime, costing yardage and points. Now, what if that player had just given up, thrown himself down on the middle of the field, and stayed there? The storyteller described that scenario humorously– imagining the band trying to march around his body during the halftime show and it was amusing to listen to. But it got me thinking that you can’t just give up and lay down in the middle of everything because you are tired of trying, or failing.
Sports teaches you to deal with failure by getting up and keeping on. You keep working on skills, learning more about the game, training to strengthen yourself, and try again. A job search is very similar! If you aren’t persistent and don’t keep at it, you’ll miss out.