Let’s face it: Sometimes a job search can be a tiring and depressing process!
It’s one of the most challenging things we do as professionals, so it makes a lot of sense to invest in your career by gaining knowledge about how to do it right.
What is the right way? A job search should look like this:
- It should start with a crystal clear plan, so you always know where you are going. You figure out your end game, then work backwards. This helps you to know what opportunities to take full advantage of and which ones to let go.
- It should get you multiple high-quality interviews with companies that you like.
- It should leads to a great offer or offers!
The more of these components you have in your job search, the more you will minimize drains in energy and enthusiasm as well as feelings of depression.
Here are several tips that help my clients get and stay motivated throughout their job search.
Hire a Career Coach or Resume Writer (or Someone Who is Both!)
You will generally get your money back or make money when you invest in an expert who is adept at taking professionals safely and smoothly through the job search maze to a successful outcome! Having a professionally written resume that clearly speaks to your market results in more interviews, bigger job offers and ensures you get the quality of position that you deserve.
As a professional resume writer and business owner, I too, have a business coach AND a mastermind group that help me to achieve my goals. It works. Try it.
Note: Make sure that you hire someone who has a professional resume and/or coaching certification through an established and trusted association such as Career Directors International or Career Management Alliance.
Create a Job Search “Schedule” and Stick to It!
You don’t want to spend your creative energies figuring out what you are going to do each day in your job search. Make it so you don’t have spend time thinking about it, but rather approach your tasks mechanically. It takes the emotion out of the process and gives you workable goals for each day.
Plan your schedule out a week in advance. Block out the times and dates and list a SINGLE MAIN GOAL for each day. This is called activity batching and it is a proven way to get more done faster. It will help you achieve super-productivity, I promise!
Your single goal for that day might be to invite X number of new connections on LinkedIn, call 10 recruiters, or conduct industry growth research. Keep it simple and automate as much activity as you can so information comes to you – not the other way around. This is easy when you use news and job alerts.
When searches get “scary” – meaning, when you find yourself in those places where you are really pushed way out of your comfort zone – it can be tempting to stop and avoid those places all together.
Examples of this include networking or calling a company decision maker for the first time. My tip: rather than focus on the fear, focus on the tasks of your day and don’t think beyond them!
Whatever happens will unfold daily. You will have very positive experiences, neutral experiences and perhaps negative experiences. It is a normal part of the search process and this simple technique will help you to keep a healthy perspective through it all.
Do What You Enjoy First
Why not concentrate on those areas you love first?
Maybe it’s research, writing or perhaps you are one of those gregarious people who enjoy and quickly see the benefits of networking. Do what you enjoy first and then do what just lightly takes you out of your comfort zone next.
Save those tasks that really push you out of your comfort zone for specific times during the week (not every day). You will find yourself more balanced and achieving more results using this common sense method.
These few tips are time-tested by over 4000 of my clients and I can tell you assuredly, they DO work!
Now is the perfect time to get motivated and move forward towards your dream job, armed with the knowledge of how to avoid many of the pitfalls so common in a job search.
