One of the key areas you may be struggling with as a job seeker is a feeling of rejection. This can cause a real slowdown in your job search activity. Such a downward spiral can happen for a variety of reasons, including:
- Getting a poor response from companies and/or jobs to which you have submitted your resumes.
- Stopping your job search once you get one or two job interviews (to see how they pan out).
- Hinging everything on one hopeful offer.
- Using only one method to perform your job search (such as responding to Internet job postings).
If you find yourself in any of these slump-producing predicaments, take heart! Here are five simple and effective tips to quickly get out of your job search slump:
Tip #1: Check your blueprint.
Your job search should begin with a simple outline of what you want to ultimately achieve. Don’t be afraid to be specific! You should include your wish list of what you want your ideal career position to look like.
From there you can easily target markets, brainstorm on secondary markets; define your geographic preferences and so forth…to ensure you reach your goals, you must know clearly where you are going.
Tip #2: Get out from behind your computer!
Spending hours searching the Internet each day is NOT going to help you…in fact it can overwhelm and even make you feel depressed. It’s the least effective form of job searching. Pick two or three other methods for getting your job search on track and leave the surfing behind for the time being.
Tip #3: Reconnect with people you know.
This is an absolute MUST for moving forward! You must reach out and connect with past and present people you know, people you used to work with and even people that do business with you such as your realtor, your banker or your insurance rep (by the way, these people are especially helpful if you are looking locally—they know tons of people and they value you as a client).
Tip #4: Stop worrying that you are bothering people!
I will share a secret with you.
When you ask networking contacts for their expert opinions on your career goals, you are allowing them to speak from a place of expert status. And people LOVE to speak from this position of authority! So let them feel good about sharing what they know to help you and give them a call!
Tip #5: Give yourself AND your goals a break.
Unstick your job search by chunking down your goals to just one or two a day for a whole week. Only commit a few minutes up to an hour of your time each day (no more than that).
Combine this with some kind of daily sport or relaxing activity you enjoy.
This plan will give you manageable goals you can meet and celebrate as you reach each one, while bringing your relaxation time into balance.
Remember—the time you spend relaxing actually increases your performance and recharges your batteries!
So if your job search is in a slump, now is the perfect time to get back on track through refocusing yourself, doing a quick check of your goals, reconnecting with your network and temporarily shifting your expectations of yourself while increasing your R&R.
