7 Ways To Stay Resilient During A Job Hunt 1. Establish a routine Without school or a full work schedule to guide your daily life, it is easy to let your schedule fall to pieces. Don’t let this happen—it can result in low productivity and general malaise. Instead, establish a routine and stick to it. Get up at the same time every day, have a healthy breakfast, and start your day with something that gives you pleasure. Schedule the tasks of your job hunt: maybe spend an hour refining your resume, another hour writing cover letters, and another contacting your network for job opportunities. Whatever your tasks are, be sure to stick to your routine. It will help you get things done, and remain optimistic about the future. 2. Rejuvenate The job hunt can be emotionally and mentally draining. Do things that refill your tank—yoga, running, crafting, cooking, whatever—early and often. In particular, do those things that allow you to find flow, the mental state of quiet and concentration that occurs when you are totally engaged in a task. Not only will regular rejuvenation increase your resilience in the short term, but you will also build good habits that will carry you through future challenges and help you thrive. 3. Stay engaged Whatever field you are in (or want to be in), be sure to stay current with what’s going on. The Internet is your best friend in this venture. Subscribe to Google alerts, tweet, comment on blogs, and find people in your community doing the things you want to do. Volunteer your time and skills. Make the connections that will lead to your next job. Remember that there are plenty of ways to grow your skills and discover new talents, and pursue them aggressively. 4. See people, meet people The job hunt can often feel very isolating. It might seem like all your friends have gotten their dream jobs, and that you are alone in your hunt. You might be embarrassed about it, and maybe you are avoiding social contact. Don’t—get out there. Grab a coffee or a drink, Skype, or go for a walk. See your friends and be honest about your situation, but be careful not to dominate the conversation with your frustrations about the job hunt. Your friends are the people that will help you get through this particular rough patch, and you will see them through their own bad times. You need them right now, and they probably need you, too. Additionally, try to meet new people. You never know who will have a great lead on a great job. 5. Control your thoughts Unemployment and underemployment can be rough going and our own minds can be an obstacle to success, particularly because of the negativity bias. The negativity bias is the brain’s tendency to notice and think about the bad things that are going on—repetitive thoughts like “not having a job sucks” and “I am never going to get a job.” This can often lead us to miss some of the good things, like the value of an education and the many skills you possess. Train yourself to tune into your thoughts, and to go for accuracy and strategy—for example, “This is a tough situation, but I can stay focused, open, and hopeful.” 6. Practice gratitude Studies show that people who count their blessings and reflect on them regularly experience greater life satisfaction, get better sleep, and perform better than people who do not. Sounds pretty good, right? Get yourself a notebook and record three things that you are grateful for, and then reflect on them. How did you get this good thing, who was involved? What does it mean to you and how can you get more of it? Try to do this at least three days a week, and then up your game to every day. It will really help you counteract the negativity bias and increase your optimism. 7. Use the experience Plenty of very successful people have had gaps in employment over the years. This is a hard time, but it is also an opportunity for personal growth. Watch the ways that you respond to setbacks or rejection, and look hard to find meaning in the tough stuff. If something isn’t working for you, change it. Write down what you are going through, and craft a meaningful story around it. This is a temporary experience that you can use to connect with other people, now and in the future.
Posted on: Tue, 10 Jun 2014 10:27:51 +0000
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