Job searching can be a very tiresome activity where you will often have to deal with long waits, rejections, confusions, and feelings of insecurity, - all of which can lower your motivation and even your self-esteem. Demotivation is perhaps the biggest obstacle in job searching that pushes many job searchers to give up altogether. To avoid such a fate for yourself, here are 6 ways to stay motivated in your job search:
1. Know that you are not alone: Before anything else, what you need to know is that anxiety and demotivation is actually a very common occurrence amongst job searchers. It happens to a large number of people; way more than you might think. Many people who are now at very successful points in their careers have all gone through the same periods of anxiety before landing the job that eventually made them successful. Hence, if you feel like you are the only person on earth who can’t seem to land a job, abandon that thought at once.
2. Don’t compare yourself to others: Job searching can be a breezy experience for one person and equally tiresome for another. Just because your friend/s landed a job in a few days while you’ve been struggling for weeks, does not mean you are any less competent or desirable. Luck is also a factor in job searching and there is every possibility that you might land an even better job.
3. Set reasonable goals: Now that you’ve come to terms with the above two points, there are a few things you can do to improve your motivation and consequently your job search as well. First is to set controllable and achievable goals. Simply setting a goal to ‘get a job by the end of the week or month’ is not reasonable, as you cannot control the mind-set or workings of employers. Instead set goals that you have full control over and is also easily achievable. Such as-
- “Today, I will search and list out 15 job postings that are relevant to my needs.”
- “Tomorrow, I will research the companies I have listed out and note down relevant information about them.
- “Day- after, I will write an appropriate cover letter and send my application to those companies.”
Achieving reasonable goals like these will give you a sense of accomplishment which helps in keeping motivation up.
4. Be Organised: Best results often come from being organised, and it is beneficial to be organised in all spheres of your life. For starters, keep a tidy environment and eat on time. Also schedule your tasks well; such as using the most energetic time of your day (maybe mornings) to do the most important tasks, and spare enough time for recreation and sufficient rest. Being organised will greatly improve your motivation and also help in your job search.
5. Take Breaks and Restart if necessary: If you are absolutely frustrated with your job search, just take a few days off to relax and ease your mind. You can begin again with more vitality and might be able to better rectify any mistakes in your job searching. You might also consider restarting the whole process again and also look into newer possibilities such as other closely related job-listings. Maybe the universe closed certain doors on you just so you could find ones to better avenues towards your right career.
6. Be Positive: Lastly, adopt a positive attitude. The theory of “Self-fulfilling prophecy” in psychology states that anticipating failure often leads to failure, because you unconsciously set yourself up to fail. Also surround yourself with positive company to build and maintain your positivity.
Finally, the most golden piece of advice- Don’t give up!!
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