• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Keppie Careers

Social media speaker, social media consultant, job search coach

  • About
    • Expert Job Search and Social Media Consultant / Speaker
  • Services
    • For Job Seekers
    • For Entrepreneurs
    • Social Media Coaching and Consulting
    • Speaking/Keynotes
  • Resources
    • Sample Resumes
    • Blogroll
    • Quoted In
  • Books
  • Blog
  • Contact

"Be brilliant in the basics" and other career advice from the Olympics

February 22, 2010 By Miriam Salpeter

I am not even going to pretend to be a hockey fan. It is not a sport that interests me in the least. In fact, when I saw a tweet about the game between the U.S. and Canada, I thought, “Okay – I can take a night off from watching the Olympics.”

However, I was interested to learn that Team USA defeated the Canadians in their showdown earlier today. This is how Yahoo! reported it:

“The Americans didn’t believe in miracles. They just believed.

And they pulled off the biggest Olympic hockey upset since the Miracle on Ice, stunning Canada 5-3 on Sunday to advance to the quarterfinals of an already mixed-up tournament.

Brian Rafalski scored two goals, Ryan Miller held off a flurry of shots and the Americans quieted a raucous, pro-Canada crowd that came to cheer its dream team, only to see it upstaged by a bunch of unproven kids.

One day short of the 30th anniversary of the country’s greatest hockey victory—the unfathomable win over the Soviet Union in Lake Placid—these underrated Americans were faster, more disciplined and more determined than Canada’s collection of all-stars.”

With a historical (30-year old!) “Dream Team” on their minds, an exceptionally young team, wearing uniforms almost identical to that storied, gold-medal winning team, beat the Canadian gold-medal favorites.

How did that happen?

Yahoo! reports:

“U.S. team officials ringed the team’s dressing room with motivational messages, like “Be Brilliant in the Basics” as a reminder that Olympic games are won with team play, good goaltending and attention to detail, not necessarily by the team with the biggest names. They got all the above.”

See your career message? “Be brilliant in the basics.” How great is that? You don’t need to be the one with the biggest reputation, or have the most experience to land the job. You need to pay attention to the details, to work hard, and to go for your dream in a way that only someone who tastes the victory can do.

You don’t need to be the biggest to be the best. You need to work the hardest. That means preparing – doing research, creating amazing materials (resume, letter, online profiles, etc.), interviewing with heart and passion AND being prepared to explain how and why you are the only one who can solve the organization’s problems.

If you have been looking for a job for an extended time, you may be getting discouraged. Don’t let it happen to you. You can only imagine the downward spiral a negative attitude will have on your job search. Think like a winner. BELIEVE that you CAN do it, but also know that you need to MAKE IT HAPPEN. Just as the underrated Team USA was  “faster, more disciplined and more determined” than their opponents, as a job seeker, what can you do to get the advantage you need?

“The Americans didn’t believe in miracles. They just believed.”

What do you believe?

photo by crackerbunny

Related Posts:

  • Personal Branding Magazine
  • Good news for job seekers
  • Best steps to find a job in the new year
  • How to write and speak like a professional
  • Three ways to find your perfect career

Filed Under: Drive Your Career Bus Tagged With: Career Advice, get a job, hockey, how to get a job without experience, keppie careers, Miriam Salpeter, Olympics, U.S.

Follow Us!

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Advice to Grow Your Business

Click here to read more about growing your business.

Follow Us!

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Be an Insider: Sign Up to Receive Special Offers & Free Gift






About Keppie Careers

Are you a job seeker or business owner? You’ve come to the right place!
Click here to find out more.

Contact Us

Have a question or comment?
Click here to Contact Us.
© Copyright 2022 Keppie Careers