How to Stay Positive Whilst Job Hunting
The hunt for a new job can be a gruelling slog, where persistence proves pivotal and the phrase “bounce back ability” holds real meaning.
Sometimes, even when you’re a fantastic candidate, bad luck and poor timing can mean the search for employment takes longer than expected.
It can be difficult to remain upbeat in these periods, but you can stay optimistic in several ways, and in this post, we’ll be exploring some of them.
Follow a Routine
When you’re out of employment, a sense of routine is one of the first things to go out of the window. And when routine gets disrupted, this can significantly impact your wellbeing. Routine helps us keep grounded and can ensure we maintain a proper diet, regular exercise and a sense of purpose – all of which are essential when looking for work.
Without routine, a sense of lethargy and listlessness can creep in, which starts a vicious cycle wherein you don’t wish to do anything. Therefore, you don’t, and on it goes, with motivation decreasing all the while.
So, whilst it might be tempting to hit the snooze button on your alarm and have an extra couple of hours in bed, try and stick to getting up at the same time each morning, schedule regular exercise and carve out set time to look for jobs.
Stay Organised
Searching for a new job can feel overwhelming, and feeling overwhelmed is rarely a positive thing. By staying on top of the jobs you’ve applied for and organising them by their status (i.e. heard back/awaiting response/interviewing), you can visually keep track of everything rather than trying to remember everything off the top of your head.
Keeping organised will also ensure you don’t miss or forget important dates, such as interviews or application deadlines.
Nothing would be more annoying than to secure an interview for an exciting job or to find a perfect-seeming job through a recruiter, only to forget about it amidst all of the other admin of your job hunt. You might be sitting there thinking, how could you forget about a job interview? But if you’re applying to countless jobs and not staying organised, it can be easier than you might think.
Being organised also helps reduce stress whilst looking for a job. A cluttered approach leads to a cluttered mind, whilst a well-organised approach keeps your mind clear and focused.
Celebrate the Small Wins
Whilst looking for a new job, you must celebrate the small wins. The little moments that put a smile on your face and leave you feeling a sense of achievement or satisfaction.
Whether that’s securing an interview, hitting your target number of job applications, or reformatting your CV, acknowledging those smaller steps along the journey can help you stay more optimistic about the whole process.
While looking for a job, it can be easy to focus solely on the end goal – getting a job. But given how lengthy and frustrating a job hunt can be, having an outcome- rather than a process-oriented approach (as understandable as that is) can lead to becoming demoralised.
Aim to Have Things to Look Forward to
Sitting at your laptop all day applying for jobs (if you’re in between roles) is tiring and sometimes frustrating. As you sit, bleary-eyed, having just sent off another application into the digital abyss, you might be left feeling a little demotivated.
Ensuring you have things outside of the job search that you can look forward to; time with family, a meal out, sporting activities, whatever it might happen to be, will help you tackle each day of employment hunting with renewed energy and vigour, and make it feel like less of a slog.
Plus, it’s always nice to give yourself an excuse to treat yourself, and keeping the search for a new job more manageable is as good an excuse as any for a regular bit of self-care!
Keep Up with the Networking
Networking is an ongoing process, and you never know when it will be helpful to have those additional professional contacts.
It’s important that you’re continually networking throughout your search for a job, but try to engage in deeper, more meaningful professional connections rather than simply connecting for the sake of looking for a job.
This transparent approach comes across as transactional and is unlikely to yield positive results. Instead, see what value you can add to one another outside of a contractual framework, and then, in time, this might lead to employment opportunities.
Even if it doesn’t, however, it’s worth doing because networking can help keep you in the loop and up-to-date, professionally speaking, even while you’re out of work. This, in turn, breeds greater confidence while looking for jobs, which translates into a job search that’s more positive overall.
Ready to Secure a New Position?
If you’ve been searching for a healthcare or social role, then we’ll have the roles for you. Get in touch with Sanctuary Personnel today and start on the exciting next step of your career journey!
