One of the phases in life that can be quite low and depressing is definitely the job search period.
Searching for a job is usually a lonely process and no matter, how many friends you have or how supportive your family is, you have to be at it on your own and the process can be depressing and energy-snapping.
If the job hunting period gets longer, the more difficult it becomes to sustain and one can even turn bitter and discouraged and not feeling like overcoming it.
Hence this is the time you need to get motivated and inspired to go through the whole length of it and stay positive and trust yourself that you will be successful through the whole job hunting process.
How to Stay Motivated – When Looking for a Job:
1. Treat the occasion as you mean it:
Give up the laid back attitude. Wake up each morning as if raring to go. Instead of treating this phase as an excuse to get up late, rise early and get ready.
Go for a walk, breathe in fresh air and welcome the day with a smile and gratitude.
2. Set up a SMART goal:
SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Timely. That’s how your goals should be.
Just setting up goals helps you remain positive, hopeful and motivated. At the end of the day, check out how much you have achieved and what you need to catch up on.
3. Set a daily or weekly target:
The target can be say, sending out at least 10 applications a day or calling up 5 company HR staff, etc. It is helpful in maintaining focus, working towards achieving the goals and staying motivated.
4. Create a positive environment:
Being organized and neat helps a lot in life’s situations. During the job search period, keep your life and your home neat and clean.
Have an area exclusively dedicated to job hunting process that will include your laptop, printer, hard copies of your resume, photographs, certificates and so on. This area will work as a motivational factor for job search.
5. Keep your job search realistic:
It doesn’t matter if you are looking for a new job or aiming at a career switch or looking for another job, ensure that the process is realistic.
Realize the truth – you may have to be flexible. It will take time to reach what you are aspiring for. So, be realistic and keep on going.
6. Set up a plan:
Keep a plan ready as to how you are going to pass through the job search phase. Not a plan that stays in your head but one that is actually written down.
Many a time, things may not go as per your plan but it will help you find your way when you feel lost.
7. Make your own list:
You know which companies are the ‘hot’ ones right now, go ahead and make a list of companies that you would love to get a job with. The longer the list, the better it is.
Against each name, also write down why you wish to join it. It is a fun exercise and at the same time gives you a chance to research about the company.
This is a great motivational step to be practiced during the tough job search period.
8. Look at the bigger picture:
Do not let rumours about slow economy or news about increase in unemployment rate dishearten you.
Just believe in yourself and those countless opportunities before you and just know that there is a lucrative job waiting for you.
9. Spend time with those who care about you:
They might be friends or family members. They will support and encourage you no matter what and help build up your confidence level and in reinforcing faith in yourself. They are the ones who just by their company lights up your spirits and cheer you up.
10. Read inspirational contents:
It can be a book, a blog, articles on the web or even Tedtalk videos. Nowadays, you will find umpteen numbers of inspirational blogs on the internet to which you can subscribe. Reading motivational articles prevents disillusionment and inspires you to put in more efforts.
11. Get yourself updated with industry news:
Just because you are not employed currently does not give you an excuse to be ignorant about the latest trends and happenings in your work sphere.
Read about latest industry news through newspapers, blogs, company websites or social media. It definitely helps recharge your batteries.
12. Form a group with honest recruiters:
What you need during the low days of job searching is an honest, experienced and trustworthy recruiter, who will help you in the right direction and not mislead.
Form a group of such recruiters and be in touch with them, so that you get constant buzzers on vacancies suitable for you.
13. Attend as many interviews as possible:
The more interviews you can go to, the better. Don’t just attend for the sake of it but prepare well for each interview.
The more interviews you attend, more will be your confidence levels and thereby, your motivational levels too will increase.
14. Take the honest feedback, if not the job:
Not all companies offer feedback to candidates but some do. What if you could not land the job, accept the feedback positively, even if negative and work on it so that you do not repeat the same mistakes in the next interview.
15. Focus on stress management:
Stress is bound to hop in during the lonesome job hunting period but the key is to learn to manage it.
Shed off negativity, do things that make you happy, lead a healthy life and hang out with your best friends. The brief here is to do things that make you happy to do away with stress.
16. Surround yourself with positivity:
Let only positive things be with you, positive people, positive thoughts and positive actions. You may have to face worse days sometimes, but hang on to positive thoughts.
Say, ‘This time too shall pass and there will be happy days again’ and smile.
17. Eat healthy and right:
Junk and fast foods are tempting, no doubt, but remember how your mind and brain functions also depend on what your body gets.
So eat healthy and have more fruits and vegetables and limit alcoholic beverages and aerated drinks. Don’t forget, a healthy mind can reside only in a healthy body.
18. Ignore pessimists:
There will be many who will try to dissuade you saying, ‘you won’t be able to do it’ or ‘getting jobs is difficult’ or ‘it is futile to go on like this’ and so on.
Keep away from such people and comments for they can hit your motivation badly. Surround yourself with optimism and optimistic people.
19. Approach rejection confidently:
Look at how a salesperson works. He may have met 10 potential clients, of which 6 would say ‘no’ and just 4 a ‘yes’.
Of these 4, there will be just one or two who would buy from him. The underlying philosophy is that the ‘no’s’ are a stepping stone to a ‘yes’.
20. Determine your strengths:
Job searching period can be very disappointing at times. The only way to overcome the phase is to focus on your strengths and see what you can do and not what you can’t. Develop your strengths and make yourself more confident.
21. Join a course:
Sometimes the job searching period can stretch from a month to six months or so. Take this period as an opportunity to join a course.
A training that will help you enhance your skills is best. Take a part time course so that you will have enough time to search for jobs.
22. Make a list of factors that act as de-motivation:
It might be stress, not getting enough interview calls, rejections or even a personal crisis. Write these down in a diary and also how you could cope with these. Take help from friends and family for solutions. Work on them.
23. Volunteer your time and skills:
If you feel that the job searching period is stretching too much, then instead of stressing over it, join an organization where you can volunteer your services. It might be work-related or any social service activity.
When you do something without expecting any returns, it gives you happiness and also acts as a confidence booster. And you need them during your job hunting period.
24. Borrow ‘Chandler traits’:
The character of Chandler Bing from the famous Television show ‘Friends’ often cracked jokes that people around him seldom found funny. Yet, he had a whacky sense of humour.
Borrow that habit of his because having a sense of humour that you can laugh at often helps as a motivation factor during job searching. When you have a good sense of humour, there is also a better chance of getting hired.
25. Shower kindness on self:
We always are told to be kind but what about showing some kindness for self?
Accept what or who you are and do not blame yourself or your actions for a rejection or a negative comment.
Your value is what you think it is and not someone whom you have met for the first time during an interview.
26. Don’t watch too much news:
News stories are most often about what’ s going on wrong with the world. There might be reports on bad economy which might add to your woes.
Limit your news watching time instead watch your favorite sitcom and laugh.
27. Know what you have right now:
One of the best ways to remain motivated is to know how blessed you are. Write down a list of what you have in your life right now – a home, good friends, a supportive family, health and so on. The list will give you many reasons to smile about.
28. Focus on the present and not past:
Treat each day as new and take each day as it comes. Thinking too much about the past will only exhaust you.
Focus on the present and have high hopes about the future.
29. Take a break:
It is not necessary to spend every day in searching for a job. Take couple of days or even a week off and think nothing about job hunting.
Instead spend time in a resort or visit your friends or parents or indulge in a hobby or just do about anything that will keep your mind off jobs and resumes.
30. Read stories of successful people:
Be it a biography, autobiography or a profile of successful people, reading these stories help you learn. It gives you a lesson or two in handling failures, on perseverance and to know that there is a silver lining after all.
Conclusion:
There are opportunities out there even if they are not knocking at your doors right now. You will get to your goal but perseverance and positive attitude are a must.
The above tips will help you stay motivated and busy, so that there is scope for dejection and disappointments. Never give up just because someone or something did not work in your favour.
Be like the phoenix which rises and remember, each step that you take is taking you nearer to your dream job. So take those proactive steps with confidence.
