Job search success - look up from your phone and pay attention -

Job search success - look up from your phone and pay attention - During a recent trip to New York City, I was excited to have a chance to get together with a colleague/new friend. We confirmed our meeting time and place. I got there early, stepped into the restroom to freshen up and then took a seat near the door, figuring my friend would be sure to see me when she came in. As has been my norm since I started using my Google phone, I took it out and busied myself checking email, Twitter, Facebook whatever caught my attention. I certainly wasnt going to just sit and watch for my friend if I could be productive! I occasionally kept my eye on the door and the clock, and noticed that my friend was a little late, but it didnt phase me. She and I had each been at different parties, so I figured she got held up. Ten minutes after we were scheduled to meet, my phone rang. It was my friend, UmMiriam? Arent we meeting tonight?   Once we both looked up, we laughed she was sitting several feet away, around a corner. She must have come in while I was freshening up, so we missed each other. Since both of us were early and busy on our phones being productive neither of us thought to really look around or keep a keen eye out for the other. Do you remember a time when meeting someone involved actually watching for them, instead of keeping busy with your head buried in your phone? I do! Time seemed to move more slowly then waiting actually involved waiting, not working or answering emails every second. I think this is a great reminder for job seekers. Do you have your head down, buried in your search? Are you waiting for someone (or something), that is sitting right around the corner, but youll never notice, because you are too busy LOOKING for the job? Technology provides a lot of opportunities for job seekers, and I am the first one to extol the virtues of using social networking for job hunting. I think there are opportunities there, just waiting for people to discover them. But, if you are too self-involved, keeping busy doing what you think you should be doing, you are not likely to benefit. Like me and my friend in that restaurant, you may just miss exactly what (or who) you want to meet. Keep your eyes open. Take your face out of your smart phone. Look around. You never know what you may find! What have you found when you stopped to look around? Tell me your stories in the comments section!