The typical job search can be very hard on the ego. You’re continually being judged, the value of your past experiences is in question and you may face more rejection than you’ve ever felt in your life.
While that feeling is normal, it’s crucial you’re able to overcome the resulting self-doubt and move forward with your quest. Letting discouragement seep into the tone of your job queries or interviews will help no one, and at times you’ll need to be your own best friend to quiet that negative voice in your head. As Winston Churchill once said, “Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm.”
Tips for Continuing a Positive Campaign
- Recognize that job searches are notorious for being long and difficult. Lack of immediate success doesn’t mean you’re a failure; if you need proof, check out the early careers of Bill Gates, Steven Spielberg, Thomas Edison or Walt Disney.
- Remind yourself you’re more than your job — you’re likely a beloved child, supportive parent, loyal friend, devoted spouse, productive volunteer and/or highly regarded member of your church, community or social circle. Surround yourself with people who remind you of that, and maintain an attitude of gratitude as often as possible.
- Don’t feel you have to do it all on your own. A career coach like one from GetFive can help you overcome obstacles in your job search, advise you on best practices and new techniques and make the process in general feel less burdensome.
- Lose any negative energy you’re carrying from your last job. Even if you didn’t choose to leave it, you may have been in the wrong place at the wrong time, or subject to factors beyond your control. Think of it as a learning experience, shake it off and look to the future.
- Keep circulating. Look into job-seeker meetings that get together regularly for networking, lead sharing and mutual review of resumes, cover letters, social media profiles, etc. (Check out GetFive’s Career Insider Program!) You might also join service clubs that attract local movers and shakers, or seeking meaningful volunteer work that keeps you in the public eye.
- Maintain a healthy diet, exercise and high standards of grooming to keep up your positive self-image and ward off depression.
- Don’t waste energy trying to be something you’re not. You’ll only make yourself disappointed for example, by pursuing jobs that require extroversion if you’re an introvert — or vice versa.
- Don’t get overwhelmed by reports about the difficulty of the job market. The Bureau of Labor Services reports people nationwide are filling more than 5 million jobs each month.
- Beef up your LinkedIn profile, paying close attention to expanding and maximizing your contacts and making it clear you’re looking for work. When applying to a company, use the LinkedIn search function to find related contacts who might help you get an interview.
- Take breaks from the stress of the job hunt. Offer yourself daily rewards and incentives for completing the sometimes difficult tasks involved, and for continuing to put yourself out there.
Finally, when the game that’s part of job hunting starts to get you down, remember what Wayne Gretzky once said: “You miss 100 percent of the shots you don’t take.”
