Job Hunting Tips: Staying Active

Unemployment is depressing: financial pressures stress you out, looking for work is humiliating, and your fragile self-confidence reels under the blows of indifference and rejection.

It becomes harder to get up in the morning, to take care of yourself, to be supportive and loving to those around you, to swing energetically into job search activities.

Here are 7 tips on beating those I-want-to-get-a-job-but-nobody-wants-me blues.

1. Create a schedule for your week: 5 hours per day (maximum) of looking for work, 2 hours per day (minimum) of relaxing, having fun with others, and appreciating yourself.

2. Act as if you are still working: get up at your usual time, shower, have your regular breakfast - it will maintain your sense of sense and provide the familiarity of routine and structure in a world in which you are feeling increasingly alienated.

3. Get out of the house. Employers don't make house calls so circulate. Surfing the net for job leads may make you feel as if you are accomplishing something but is often only a means of escape. By all means, post your resume anywhere you can, but then hit the road.

4. Actively nurture your relationships. Avoid letting your misery and self-reproach poison your interactions with those who love you and want to help. Recognize that your loved ones may also be in distress and take the time to go somewhere and do something with family and friends.


5. List your abilities, skills, and positive personal characteristics on a piece of paper. Write down your past successes and triumphs, however small. Read the list daily to remind yourself of your value. Add to the list as you recall other positive qualities.

6. Remind yourself of the realities of the labor market -that most of us will change jobs dozens of times in our working life and many change actual careers several times. Being out of work does not mean that there is something wrong with you, just that it is now your turn to go through this upheaval. Next time it may be your spouse or friend -it is part of the human condition in 21st corporate America.

7. Be kind to yourself. Your self-confidence, self-esteem and self-regard have all been hit with a steel boot. Actively look at yourself with the eyes of a concerned friend and give yourself the support, sympathy, and goodwill that you would extend to anyone you love who had suffered the same fate.

Practice these techniques for a few weeks to help yourself cope more positively with your seriously uncomfortable and anxiety-provoking situation.

Virginia Bola operated a rehabilitation company for 20 years, developing innovative job search techniques for disabled workers, while serving as a respected Vocational Expert in Administrative, Civil and Workers' Compensation Courts. Author of an interactive and emotionally supportive workbook, The Wolf at the Door: An Unemployment Survival Manual, and a monthly ezine, The Worker's Edge, she can be reached at http://www.virginiabola.com


More Resources

Top 5 Tips for College Grads Entering the Working World
1) Build a Relationship With Your Boss:Like it or not, no single individual has a greater impact on your career future than your direct supervisor. So, how do you get on their good side from the start? Managers want to feel that you truly care, and that you are "in it with them" as a team.
Change Your Life, Change Your Career And Get A New Job!
Careers dictate resume formatDifferent careers use different forms of resumes. When you're working on your resume, beware of services that try to sell you on just one template, regardless of your target career.
How to Overcome a Bad First Impression
Have any of these situations happened to you? Forgetting your client's name, unintentionally insulting a co-worker, spilling coffee on your boss, not recognizing an old friend, drinking too much at the company party, sending a racy e-mail to the wrong person, or asking a woman's due date when she's not pregnant - ouch! You never have a second chance to make a first impression, so what happens when that first impression is a negative one?In a perfect world none of these things would occur, but the truth is, we all make mistakes. Effective communicators are not only aware of how their actions impact others; they also know how to respond in uncomfortable situations.
Job Search: Age-Proofing Your Resume
Older job hunters fear interviews where their age cannot be concealed and where an initial response of dismay on an interviewer's face, quickly hidden, confirms their anticipation of discrimination. The mature job seeker often prefers the anonymity of mailed resumes, e-mailed inquiries, internet applications, and telephone contacts.
How To Conduct A Successful Job Search Campaign
1.Define your objective: Know what kind of work you most enjoy and perform the best.
Are You Suited for Self-employment?
A recent poll conducted by Yahoo! Small Businessshowed that nearly 3 out of 4 Americans have consideredstarting their own business. In fact, of more than 2,200 adults surveyed, over half (51 percent) said they wouldlike to launch their small business within the next 5 years.
From The WorkWise Collection: Job Hunting in the New Economy
To succeed in today's global marketplace, companies must hire the best and the brightest. Having talented employees can make the difference between success and failure.
So, Why Dont You Tell Me About Yourself?
"So, why don't you tell me about yourself?" is the most frequently asked interview question. It's a question that most interviewees expect and the one they have the most difficulty answering.
Consulting: A Different World
I won't say I have a vast array of knowledge as a consultant..
Three Steps to Writing Your Own Resume
While most professionals hire a professional resume writer, some draft their own resume. People who write a lot for business usually have more success in putting together a sharp, focused presentation; still, anyone can learn the basic steps to prepare his or her own resume.
How To Find Quick, Free, Job Search Resurces
There are many free job search resources availablein any community, large or small. These resourcesare available to the aspiring CEO as well as to the person who wants to make sandwiches.
Seriously Impress at Your Interview With These 7 Hot Tips
So you've managed to secure a job interview for a position thatfits you PERFECTLY. Now comes the moment of truth: Are youREALLY ready for the interview? If you've rehearsed what you'regoing to say and know the perfect answer to every potentialquestion, you're half way there.
Top 10 Tips for Career Advancement
Here's a list of the top 10 tips you can use to advance your career: 1. Don't be afraid to say "I don't know.
Update Your Resume Today
A friend was just promoted to a position of vice-president of a company. I am happy for him and the first thing I told him after congratulations was "update your resume".
Resume Layouts ... The Hidden Pitfalls
Options for Resume LayoutsThere are many options of available to today's job seeker. With a quick change of graphical elements such as fonts and style, the feel of a resume can change from traditional and conservative to creative and modern.
Does Your Career Change Itch or Burn?
Two weeks ago, I received a newsy email from a former client. Dan gave me the scoop on his life and new love, and ended by saying that while work had improved, he was feeling the itch again to go after career change.
Build Your Career Decision By Decision
Do you dislike making decisions and avoid the challenge whenever you can?Take heart. Look around and you will find you have plenty of company.
It May Be Time to Walk in an Employers Shoes
If you are in a job search and aren't receiving viable hits, it's time to walk a mile in an employer's shoes. Okay, I realize what you may be thinking.
Virtual Heroes: The Growth of the Virtual Assistant
Building and expanding a business is a difficult task, when the management of the business in its existing form takes up much of the time. The administrative, office-based and creative tasks behind running a business, although time-consuming and often repetitive, are vital to the continued operations of the business.
Conduct An Informational Interview
Informational interviews are designed to get as much information as you can about the industry and career you're seeking a job in from people who are already in that career.Many job seekers don't conduct informational interviews because the purpose of this type of interview is NOT to ask for a job.

More Careers & Employment Information:

Related Articles

My Career is in the Doldrums - Do I Need a Coach or a Therapist?
Is Monday the worst day of your week? Can you hardly remember when you enjoyed going to work? Do friends ask why you seem so down? Maybe this has been going on awhile, and you're realizing it's time to do something. But where do you turn? At one moment you tell yourself "It's just my career?Change that, and everything will be OK".
Looking the Part
I don't know his name and he wasn't trying to be profound. A man who worked for one of my colleagues always showed in a shirt and tie with a simple explanation: "if you look business, you is business".
Effective Resume and Cover Letter Writing - Part One
To begin, make a decision to discard any former knowledge learned about the "rules" of resume and cover letter writing. People commonly become stuck in "bad" writing habits from a time gone by.
How to Make Your Career Change Easier
Despite what your grandmother told you, life is not supposed to be a struggle. The same is true for making a career change.
How to Become a Real Estate Agent
If you're wondering how to become a real estate agent, the basic process is fairly simple, although it does vary a lot from state to state..
Freelance Work: The Changing Face of Employment
The world sure is changing, and if you look at job employment you will see what I mean. Let's just go back to our grandparent's generation, even though I'm sure if we went back further we would see very different structures of work in the tribal periods of our history.
Old Hiring Foxes vs. The Hedgehogs
You are about to compete for the best people again. The recovery is happening.
Day Trading - The Ultimate Work-From-Home Job?
Ever dreamt of giving up the daily grind? Want to strike out on your own and work from home, but don't know what you could possibly do to make a living? Full time Nasdaq trader Harvey Walsh wondered just that, and now he asks "Is day trading the ultimate work from home job"?We've probably all had the same thought at some time or another, as we trudge off towards another day at work - the same work we've been doing day in day out for years - "surely there has to be a better way?" Slaving away to make somebody else rich just doesn't seem right somehow, but what alternative? Setting up a new business, or buying an established one, are both expensive and risky prospects. So how can the disenchanted employee ever hope to make the switch from wage-slave to total independence?Those are thoughts I had almost every day, before I quit the safety of full time employment and decided to strike out on my own.
Discontentment in the Workplace
While more people are finding employment, more employed workers are discontent and experiencing frustration. In most cases it can be boiled down to four factors: feeling undervalued, unappreciated and powerless, and world events.
Free Resume Examples: More Is Better
If you ever studied any probability theory in high school or college, you probably remember the marbles.Most introductory probability books talk about drawing different colored marbles out of a bag.
Dissatisfied With Your Job? Stop Believing The Myths!
If you are dissatisfied with your job, you are in a self-imposed career slump!Why are so many of us in career slumps? Bottom line?we are not doing work that satisfies us! No matter what our employer does for us, if we are not doing work we really want to be doing, in a way that fits our desired life-style, we will never be satisfied.What keeps us in career slumps for so long? The number one thing that keeps us in our slumps is that we believe the "myths" we were told!1.
18 Career Enhancement Caveats
Core value investing in your careerMany people walk through their lives never, ever being better at something than anyone else. What is it that you know or do better than almost anyone else in the world? What is it that you do uniquely well? Do your core values for yourself and your family fit with what you are doing, where you are putting your energy, what you are developing, and where you are focusing/immersing yourself?In your career, as well as in your life, to achieve full capacity and happiness, all of you must be going in the same direction.
Negotiate Better Job Offers with This Twelve-Point Checklist
You've been through an employer's interview process successfully and have now been extended a job offer. And you think the offer could be better.
Avoid Mistakes and Gaffes in Your Job Resume
Having mistakes and gaffes in your job resume spell disaster for your job search. The last thing an employer needs is to look at a poorly written resume.
Are Your References Ready?
One of the most common forms of background check performed by companies hiring new employees is the reference check. They typically request that candidates provide them with three names of previous bosses.
Writing Great Cover Letters
Cover letters are an essential ingredient to your complete résumé package. This is the best opportunity for you to demonstrate your personal character, knowledge of the company and your business writing skills.
How to Prepare for A Performance Appraisal
Performance appraisal should be treated as an ongoing developmental process rather than a formal once-a-year review. It should be closely monitored by both employee and reviewer to ensure that targets are being achieved.
Considering a Career Change?
Are you thinking about a career change? Many people do this because of specific problems or difficulties. Others want to make such a change because of some growing, generalized dissatisfaction.
Find Free Resumes Online
Have you been spending money on countless job boards, only to find that they don't offer the types of candidates you need? If the answer is yes, don't fret any longer, you're about to learn crafty techniques to help you find free resumes on the net. There are numerous free resources online that offer resumes.
One Step at a Time in the Job Search
What is the first step to take in a job search?Let's start with "Who Am I?" If the job seeker can answer that question easily, then the rest of what to do, comes easily.It is often the hardest thing to do in a job quest, or anything else in life.