Job Searching Tips

Jessica Holbrook, President/CEO of Great Resumes Fast, recently wrote an article titled 4 Tips for Staying Encouraged During a Long Job Search offering some great ideas on how to manage through a stressful period in your life. I enjoyed her article and like the tactics she suggested:

1. Feel Good About Your Résumé
2. Find a Mentor
3. Don’t Job Seek 24/7
4. Find Stories of Success

So I thought, in return, I’d do what my college buddies and I did when we were at a seedy diner, occupying a table until 3:00 a.m., staving off our drunken stupor; and playing the napkin game. That is to add four more ways to stay positive in the job search.

1. Visit Your Local or Your College Career Center and utilize the services they offer. As a workshop specialist, and one from whom many job seekers ask for advice, I can say that there is a great deal to learn about the job search. Let’s face it; the job search has changed in the past 10, 20, 30 years. I’m not just blowing smoke.

   How does your resume feel (as Jessica mentions)? Do you realize that despite many people’s advice, a cover letter is still necessary? Are you aware that behavioral interviews are becoming the norm, even during a telephone interview?

2. Leave the House. Don’t take this time to sleep late and watch day-time television—there’s nothing on, anyways. Stay in a routine like when you were working. Exercise or paint the rooms you and your spouse were talking about when time was sparse. When you accomplish these small feats, you’ll feel better and more fulfilled.

   Stick to your career action plan, the one you create for every week of the year. Set a goal to meet 35-50 hours of job search activity a week; and meet that goal. Jessica is correct is saying don’t job seek 24/7. There are other important things in your life. You don’t want to burn out.

3. Get Outside Your Comfort Zone. Have you ever worn your watch on the opposite wrist? I know it’s a silly question; but when you wear your watch on the opposite wrist, it feels uncomfortable, almost unbearable. This is how it might feel to network face-to-face.

   You may dread going to a networking event where you’ll meet strangers and have to make small talk. Introverts like me know the feeling. However, I make it a point to attend business networking events just to get outside my comfort zone. I see these as small victories. Eventually these small victories will add up to a major victory…a job.

4. Embrace Professional and Social Online Networking. Use LinkedIn (professional networking) to establish contacts and communicate with people who will make a difference in your job search. The same holds true for Twitter and Facebook (social networking). Communicate with the plan to Advise, Acknowledge, Appreciate, and Advance. These are terms Liz Lynch uses in her presentation of Build Strategic Relationships using Social Media platforms. Simply stated, practice proper networking, using online tools.

There are many suggestions on how to stay encouraged during your job search. Jessica offers you four viable ways, and I added four more. What other strategies can you think of? Share them with other people who are temporarily out of work. Play the napkin game and comment on Jessica’s and my suggestions.

Similar Posts:

• Keeping Your Spirits Up During An Extended Job Search
• 4 Tips for Staying Encouraged During a Long Job Search
• Volunteer to Land a Job
• Why Use Social Media While in Transition?
• Ways to Get Help While in Transition