Missing: My Motivation!

You’ve had many pep talks with yourself, and you are dead set on finding a new job.  This inner fire and motivation energizes you to stay focused on the task at hand, and you begin your job hunt. Two months in, and this fire now has dwindled down to a flame, and you start to second guess yourself with thoughts of why you aren’t landing any interviews.  You still push forward though, and the less confident you, continues to apply for jobs.  Four months in, and you could swear you have signs of depression and don’t even know what the word confidence means.  “Staying positive” is a phrase you can’t even stomach, and you are on the brink of giving up.  The job search has taken a LOT longer than you had anticipated, and you no longer have confidence in yourself, or your worth, as a professional.  You try to find your inner motivation to keep you focused, but it has somehow gone missing.  Seriously, you’ve been looking all over the place, and it’s nowhere to be found!  Let’s cut to the point here - looking for a new job is HARD.  It by no means happens in a snap of a finger and takes a lot of time and effort.  In fact, it takes a lot more time than people typically expect; and guess what, this is normal! A drawn out search though can bring angst, sadness, embarrassment and worst of all, low self esteem.  It has the ability to make you second guess your potential which could ultimately affect your bottom line…finding a job!  Believe us when we say that employers can sense your negativity and desperation in an interview.  So, it’s time to call on the search and find your inner motivation to keep you going during your job search. 

Here are some great ways to stay motivated and land your dream job.

The grand plan: Make sure you establish an end goal of what you hope to accomplish, set up a plan of how you are going to get there and set achievable deadlines. For example, your end goal is to achieve a job; however, what small goals do you hope to achieve to get to that end goal?  Perhaps apply to 20 new jobs a week? Have 4 interviews lined up by the end of your first month in your search? Basically, what steps are necessary to get you that job? Once you have an achievable plan in place, it will be a lot easier to stay on task, have targeted mile markers to keep you motivated and help you accomplish your goal.

Network your heart out: Ever heard of the saying, “It’s not about your experience, it’s about who you know?” Yeah, so have we and that statement is dead on!  Although experience is extremely important and does matter, key networks are going to help you get your foot in the door, as they hold the direct power to get your name and resume directly in front of the right person.  Also, the more people you know, the more likely those individuals are going to recommend you for a position that they’ve heard about.

Find a mentor: Finding a mentor is crucial during your job search, as this person serves as your rock, guidance and support.  A mentor can help coach you and give you new useful ideas to aid you in your hunt.

Try new techniques: A different approach can always help breathe new life into your job search. It can help give you a unique and fresh perspective and will allow you to learn about new tools that are beneficial in searching for jobs.  The World Wide Web is at your finger tips, so browse around for new job boards that are related to your industry, check out creative resume approaches, etc.  Sky’s the limit here!

Relieve stress and stay healthy: Having a healthy mind and body will help boost natural endorphins that will not only make you feel better and boost positivity but will also help keep you motivated. 

Avoid negativity…at all costs: Keep yourself far from any and all Negative Nancy’s out there, and do your personal best to remain positive.  No matter what!

So stay motivated and keep your chin up, because that job is just around the corner!