Recently, I had to fly back to Atlanta, GA to help my dad while my stepmom was in the hospital. (Hence the lack of blog posts in the past month.)

As the facility was 40 miles away, we did a lot of driving back and forth for visits, and to transport her to medical appointments.

Each time we headed onto the Georgia interstate, there was a sign saying “Keep Moving” right on the on-ramp.  Seems sort of obvious to me that it made sense for traffic to keep moving, but I started thinking about how this sign should be present in everyone’s job search.

Keep Moving.  If you falter, you won’t make it onto the fast-track.

Keep Moving. There are plenty of people waiting behind you who would gladly pass you, given the chance and if you slow down.

Keep Moving. If you stall out, you won’t be able get enough juice to get back on.

Keep Moving.  By keeping yourself active, you keep your job search engine warmed up and ready to roll when you need to respond quickly to opportunities. Cold starts never helped anyone!

Keep Moving. Make a decision and stick with it. You know those indecisive drivers who always seem to around with their blinker on, hesitating at turns, unsure as to whether to commit? Once you start going in a direction, then make the turn and keep moving.  You can always turn around later and head back if you need to!

Keep Moving. If the going is getting tough, like slippery with ice or snow, if you don’t keep moving, you’ll get stuck. Similarly, the key to job searching is to keep moving so you don’t get stuck.  Be willing to try different paths to prevent getting mired down in tactics that don’t work.

Keep Moving. Momentum is built the more you apply pressure to the gas.  Same thing goes for a job search. You can’t just give it a little nudge and expect to coast along. Gradually increasing the pressure helps you build speed and carry you along.

Keep Moving. What may seem like same-old/same-old scenery will gradually change into new territory and views that perhaps you couldn’t have imagined.  In a job search, keeping moving can help open up new doors by being willing to follow up on contacts, initiate conversations, and build meaningful business relationships. It is through these contacts that you’ll find your next opportunity.

There are a ton of reasons you need to keep moving in a job search. Having inertia just means that you are sitting there on the couch with the curtains drawn… going nowhere real fast.