Staying Positive During Your Job Search
It all begins with an idea.
Finding a job can be hard work and stressful. It’s easy to get discouraged, no matter how talented you are. Follow our steps below to stay positive in your job search and keep making progress so that you can hold out for the job fulfillment you deserve.
Positive Mindset
The key to staying positive is to start with a mindset focused on your desired long term result. Thinking about that new dream job or great company will help get you through the tough times when it takes a long time to hear back from recruiters. Three or four months feels like a lot now, but in the end, holding out for job fulfillment is an investment in your future. You don’t want to be searching again in another year.
Remind yourself of how work fits into your identity: you are more than your job.
Use mindfulness tools to keep yourself uplifted, like meditations, daily affirmations, or journaling.
Support Crew
Only engage supportive friends and family in your conversation about your search. You want suggestions and feedback, but set boundaries with critical people, no matter how well intended they may be.
Can you get a few other job seekers together for a monthly coffee to share tips? Spending time with others in a similar situation provides the support you need and helps you feel less alone. And you might even get some leads along the way.
Self-care
Escape! It’s not realistic to spent ten hours a day searching for a new job. Give yourself a break with fun TV, movies, or books.
Get physical: hopefully exercise is part of your routine. If you’re working from home, take. a walk for a change of scenery. If the weather’s not great, do some stretching or exercise indoors. It’s important to break away from your phone and computer and come back fresh.
Assess
Are you looking for the right job?
If you aren’t getting calls to interview, see if there is a mismatch between your resume and cover letters compared to the openings. Are you shooting too high? If you are switching fields or industries, are you showing how your past experience translates? Or are you shooting too low, and the employers think you are overqualified?
If you are getting first interviews but not getting called back, maybe it’s time to assess your interview style and how you are answering questions.
Get an outside perspective on your resume, LinkedIn profile, and communications. Friends or former coworkers can provide some feedback. If you have been at the job search for a while, you may want to consider a career specialist to help you properly diagnose the problem and find solutions.
Bottom line: searching for a new job can take time. But if you take these steps to stay positive in your job search and find the right job for you, then it will have been worth the wait!