Liven Up Your Job Hunt – Tips for When Things Look Bleak

Photo by coral11

Yesterday, I wrote about some unfortunate job hunting misteps that characterized desperate job seekers. Since it’s never a good idea to tell people what NOT to do without following up with some helpful suggestions, today’s blog offers some things to consider if you are really getting tired of looking for a job.

If your job hunt makes you feel like Ms. Allie (pictured above), read on for tips to get a jump start:

Click here for some suggestions to get you started. I also thought you’d like to consider these additional suggestions from Penelope Trunk for when you think all is lost and you feel like crawling back into bed and watching reruns instead of looking for work. (Summaries are my own):

Check your attitude.
If you let yourself wallow in the “down and out,” you’ll hurt your chances to find a job. The power of positive thinking is real. Penelope suggests actually writing a list of things that are going well in your life and a list of your positive personality traits.

Check your focus.
Rethink your resume and the type of job you are applying to get. Maybe you need to readjust your focus for success. Penelope always recommends hiring a professional to write your resume. I agree 🙂 I wouldn’t suggest waiting until you are desperate, though.

Check your pace.
Focus your networking efforts and set attainable (push yourself a little) goals. Meet people you DON’T think will be able to help you. You’ll be surprised.

Check your personal life.
Don’t forget to see your friends. Have a life. Don’t spend all your time networking externally at the expense of your honest-to-goodness support system. Avoid spending time with negative people.

Check your spending.
Be mindful of your expenses. Don’t deny yourself, but do you really need that new (insert frivilous item that in no way assists with your search)? Purchase what you’ll need to conduct a successful search – clothing, shoes, a nice haircut, professional career advice…Keep your other spending to a minimum so you won’t run out of money!

Turn off the TV and read.
You never know where you’ll find inspiration! Read fun things and books that make you think. Personally, I love going to the bookstore to find all the new books and then going to the library to check them out!

Keppie Careers will help you with your search. Need a great resume? Cover letter? Don’t know how to network? www.keppiecareers.com