Years ago my running coach taught me to improve my foot turnover (and hence speed) by running as though I were running on egg shells. By stepping lightly and quickly, so as not to break the shells, I minimized the bounce to my joints and improved my turnover. The advice was perfect for marathon training but may not work for job seekers.

These days many people are in the market. Some are employed and seeking new opportunities. Others are seeking to reinvent their careers and still others have been laid off or downsized. With the media trumpeting high unemployment numbers the "job scarcity" mentality has led many job seekers to approach their search with fear.

This fear has resulted in worries about putting the wrong words on your resume, or conducting your search in the "wrong" way. It all adds up to a lukewarm job search hindered by fear. Your search is not an eggshell. While no one would advise you to barrel through it like a bull in a china shop, remember that your search reflects how you will do the job.

I have worked far too often these days with job seekers paralyzed by fear. They are so afraid of breaking the shell that they miss opportunities to network (CRITICAL to your search), differentiate and most importantly market themselves.

You cannot really "break" your job search. Are you reaching out to the right people? Are you using social media to find and connect with potential employers? Are you taking a chance to get in front of your target audience? If your answer is no, you may want to lose the focus on doing everything right to taking the right actions.

It is your search, don't be afraid to GO FOR IT! The results may surprise you.