“I don’t care about a career direction, I just need a job!” This is what I heard a couple of days ago from a job seeker who was frustrated by the lack of response they were getting from potential employers.
It’s no surprise that finding a job takes time and effort, but when you’re in the midst of a job search it is very easy to minimize the emotional elements of a job search and focus instead on the one thing you need the very most – a job.
Picture finding a job as casting a large net over a variety of avenues, because jobs usually don’t come from one source. In fact, many times jobs come out of the blue, from someone you have never met.
Moving past the anger and frustration is a big factor in determining when and how you will find a job. You are your job search. You are marketing your skills, attitude and outlook every day to employers through your applications, resumes and cover letters. Doubt and despair can surface when you get few results for your efforts. But remember, what you feel often is the energy others receive from you.
Part of a job search is planning for rejection and how you will cope with it.
While in a rush to find employment, job seekers often will skip over the planning stage and rush out to find a job, any job. The “any job” search plan can easily feel overwhelming and downright discouraging at times because any job has no direction.
Let’s say you have sent out hundreds of resumes and applied for every job that sounds even remotely like something you could do, and you still have no offers. Then what? It might be time to rethink your efforts and try taking a different angle.
Here are some job search activities that really work:
• Review your resume. It could be that you are missing key words, or you might need a different format.
• Follow up on applications, contacts and any source that provides you with ideas or job leads.
• Check out social media sites, and learn to use them.
• Attend a local job-search support group. Attending one can help you establish a new routine by getting out and meeting others.
• Consider temp or contract work.
• Read local business news. Become familiar with new and established companies in your area.
• Your local workforce commission can help with leads. If the ones provided are not a good match, perhaps you have a contact for other opportunities.
• Combine networking with applying for jobs. The two are a powerful force that can prevent you from being screened out.
• Do everything possible to filter out negative news, and focus on positive things you are learning through your search. You are learning how to job search and are becoming more self-reliant, a skill that will last your entire career.
• It’s never too late to network, even if you have reached out to them in the past. Follow up and use a list of companies or employers of interest to help you develop contacts.
• Keep moving forward – rejection is part of a job search. Rejection indicates you are taking action and not waiting for things to happen.
Landing a job often is a mixture of timing and being open to new job-search activities.
What can you add to the list of job search activities that really work?
