Defeating Job Search Blues

Q: It seems when you’re out there at first looking for a job, you have energy and confidence. Then depression seeps in as the time lengthens. How can you get through the rough times without them getting to you? Also, how do you keep your ego out of the job hunt when rejections pile up?

 

A: Wouldn’t it be great if we could bottle enthusiasm and take a swig when we’re really thirsty!

 

My nine years in career counseling have convinced me that the job search tends to magnify emotional highs and lows. An invitation for an interview may evoke euphoria, while a rejection letter can bring a three-day depression. Rational behavior often goes out the window when you feel vulnerable and at the mercy of others.

 

Fortunately, you can tame your emotional roller coaster by regaining control and structure in your life. Like the exhausted parents of a newborn baby, remind yourself that the sleepless nights (joblessness) won’t last forever. It’s a temporary condition. Try to live one day at a time without pining for the past or worrying about the future, and you will feel a lot better.

 

If you must worry, schedule 15 to 30 minutes each day to examine anxieties. Evaluate why they are bothering you and develop some techniques for dealing with them constructively. For example, if money is a real concern, work out a careful budget for making it last. Thin of some alternatives that will keep you fed and clothed until you are employed again. If you deal with your worst expectations, they will lose their power over you.

 

Worrying about past performance is useless. If your last interview was a disaster, chalk it up to experience and move on. Reliving past deeds is only worthwhile if you can learn from them. Endless rehashes of, “This is where I dropped the ball,” will only reinforce the likelihood that you will repeat past mistakes.

 

Be sure to schedule some fun activities, too. Often job seekers feel guilty taking time to enjoy themselves. They focus more energy on their job search than they would normally spend at work. This single minded dedication is both boring and unhealthy. An evening with supportive friends will do more for your morale than one spent poring over want ads.

 

While an unemployed person’s job search is his job, 40 hours per week offers plenty of time for calls, interviews, resumes, etc. Knock off work on the evenings and weekends or you are likely to burn out.

Take several moments every day to image how great you will feel when you find the right job. Many experts in goal setting say that visualizing your objective is the first step to achieving it. The old adage, “People get what they expect,” is certainly true for job seekers. (Savoring past glories can help you to press on for the job you really want, too.)

 

Check your step-by step game plan. Does it use contacts effectively or is it relying mostly on want ads and resume campaigns? Are there any other avenues you can explore to find job leads? Sometimes a little conceptual blockbusting can rejuvenate a flagging spirit.

 

Creating a weekly structure can be helpful as well. Having no place to go in the morning can get you off to a depressing start. Join a job club (job seeker’s support group). Promise yourself that your will schedule a certain number of interviews each week. Meet a friend for lunch. Go to the library. Taking action always beats sitting around.

 

If you reel with each rejection, use the technique International Business Machines Crop. Teaches its sales people. For every 10 people you see, you will get one offer. Each rejection brings you closer o getting the job you want.

 

Don’t base your future on one potential position. Continue to generate possibilities until you receive a bona fide offer. People waste precious weeks waiting for the one job that doesn’t materialize when they could be pursuing several other equally enticing opportunities that may pan out.

 

Finally, if you are really exhausted, give yourself some time to relax and regroup. To help you begin your perspective take a weekend vacation away from hoe, cheer up a friend who is worse off than you or do some temporary work until the itch returns to continue your search.