Sometimes it’s difficult to maintain a positive attitude during a job search. You don’t know when your next job will come along or what it will look like. Discouragement and negativity can kick in if you are not careful. Follow these tips to keep your mindset in a good place as you navigate these unchartered waters.
- Use keywords in your resume and profile. Study examples of job descriptions that interest you. Be sure your resume contains the same key words and phrases. Your resume will get noticed more.
- Focus on 1-2 career sites. There are a multitude of job websites out there. There is a tendency to believe that you have to use them all to keep your bases covered and succeed. It’s just not true. Focus on one or two career sites. We recommend LinkedIn and Indeed, or perhaps a career site that caters to your specific industry. Linkedin is at the heart of the job search for several reasons. Log in every day, root around, read news feeds, search contacts, apply to job openings, learn new skills and post content. Linkedin is vast and all of these activities can stimulate or inspire new avenues for your career.
- Set a small daily goal, say applying to a minimum of two to three job openings per day. Don’t kick yourself if you miss the goal some days. Sometimes you just don’t see enough jobs on job websites that interest you enough to apply. Trust that once in a while on other days you might feel on a tear and apply to 5-10 jobs to make it up. Like everything, your motivation will come in waves.
- Keep track of your results. What is your rate of success? How many interviews do you get on average per application? How far down the funnel do you make it? Second phone interview? In person interview? Knowing the rate of your success will embolden you to keep your attitude up and keep applying to jobs. You’ll be able to learn and fine tune what works and what doesn’t.
- Take a break once you’ve hit your daily goal. Take a break even when you haven’t. Sometimes you just need a break.
- Take care of yourself. Have a good breakfast and lunch. Go outside. Take a walk. Run an errand. Talk to a friend. Eat some chocolate. Watch a show. Take a day or two off each week. These activities are just as important as the job search itself to ensure that you maintain good head space.
- Do something you can put on your resume. If you are not currently working, get out there and do something to put on your resume. Volunteer. Do temp work through a temp agency. Having something current on your resume that’s in your field means a lot to employers.
- Have grit. Take heart, you are not alone in this process. There’s nothing wrong with you. There are many well qualified professionals looking for work. Studies show that each job opening receives an average of 118 applications. Good old-fashioned grit will be proven to be the best skill you have.