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Nobody has ever said that job searching is easy. Because of all the uncertainty, the potential for rejections, and the stress of interviewing, job searching can be challenging. Overcome your fear of job searching with the following tips:
Put your goals in writing and eliminate each as they're completed. Alternatively, write down every detail of each day so you can review your efforts and track your progress, or lack thereof. Keep in mind, this necessitates changes.Click To TweetSet Short-Term, Specific Goals
Your long-term goal is to find a job that fits your skills and pays the bills. Focusing solely on that goal can become overwhelming and intimidating. Applying for a single position with one company involves several steps and even multiple interviews. Prevent a defeatist attitude by creating and accomplishing micro-goals that help achieve your ultimate goal — employment. Put your goals in writing and eliminate each as they’re completed. Alternatively, write down every detail of each day so you can review your efforts and track your progress, or lack thereof. Keep in mind, this necessitates changes.
No goal is too small to work toward, including measurable goals such as:
- Aggressively check job boards for a few hours each day
- Check job search sites once a day
- Sign up for networking events or job fairs once a week
- Contact an old co-worker or make one new LinkedIn contact once a week
- Upload your resume to a company’s website or new job board once a day
- Contact a headhunter of HR manager once a day
And remember, in the words of Bob Parsons, “When you’re ready to quit, you’re closer than you think.” The executive chairman and founder of GoDaddy.com believes in the Chinese saying, “the temptation to quit will be greatest just before you are about to succeed.”
Maximize Every Move
Quantifying your goals is effective, yet make sure that every move you make is purposeful. Mindlessly applying to 50 jobs a day is probably less effective than spending the time to apply to the right job. Search for the right positions, thoroughly research the company, and tailor your cover letter and resume. Set goals, but keep them realistic so that all your efforts count and you’re one step closer toward employment.
Write Down Daily Affirmations
As a monotonous job search continues, discouragement and downtrodden feelings ensue. Unacknowledged job applications and a drawn-out interview process can lower a person’s morale. Finding inspiration and writing down daily affirmations can lift spirits and keep your eyes glued to your goals. Remember that you are not your
Stay positive and write down:
- A lesson learned from a mistake or a takeaway from a rejection
- Small successes, achievements, or steps in the right direction that you can celebrate
- Admirable and worthy traits and skills, personally and professionally
- Support that friends and family have provided you with
Separate Action From Emotion
With every resume submitted and interview scheduled, you’ll most likely experience a range of emotions. You may get excited over discovering a job opening you’d love to have. You’re anxious about hearing back from their HR department. A phone interview’s scheduled? Great! Nerves set in. Then you weren’t invited back for a second interview. You wallow in disappointment, self-pity, frustration, and hopelessness. These negative feelings circle back to and confirm your fear of job searching. By disassociating emotion from the events of your
You're Hired! Leveraging Your Network -- Job Search Strategies That Work puts you to work in learning how to use 'best practices' to create a professional network that will increase your success in landing your job.
