Here’s an odd thing about being in job search: it can get boring. You’ve got a lot to do, but when not much happens, it can feel discouraging and it’s easy to lose interest. When doing laundry looks like a good time, you know you’re in trouble. My advice, as a career coach and author, is to surprise yourself. Do something that is out of the box for you. That could mean attending a networking meeting that you’ve avoided, volunteering at a soup kitchen, or signing up for a drawing class. It’s your job to make your life interesting while you look for work, and as you do it, you’ll find your search easier to maintain. And who knows, the things you do to surprise yourself might even help you get to your next opportunity.
Job search is a full-time job. One road for job search success is for job seekers to consider themselves to be self-employed, the CEO of Themselves Pty Ltd, and to conduct the job search as if they were sales reps looking for new clients. In this way, while there will be many tasks that they may be reluctant to get into, they will see the progress that they are making. Networking / selling ourselves is not something that everyone launches into with enthusiasm but most get to enjoy it after their first few tentative interviews. However Jean is quite right when she says that job seekers need to factor in enjoyment in the job search, perhaps a reward for undertaking that first network interview. A job seeker who does not find some enjoyment in the job search process is not likely to present him- or herself as a ‘happy chappy’ when meeting a prospective employer.
Hi Jean,
Another great blog!
Your comment about “when laundry looks like a good time” is right on. For sure, that means it’s time for a jobseeker to get out and attend an event! Many programs can remind them of the real world and that they have valuable opinions and talents. The next job is just a casual conversation away, and happens when you least expect it. That’s how I found my great job seven months ago. Do your homework, then get out as much as possible! It’s energizing and you’ll even think better afterwards.