It's so important to stay motivated while searching for a job. It's also incredibly difficult, given the current job market. Certainly, I've had days rife with discouragement where it's a struggle to send out resumes, knowing that most of them will be immediately deleted from someone's inbox before they're seriously scrutinized. It's not personal, and it isn't because I'm unqualified. It's simply that competition is extraordinarily tight, and as good as the credentials on any given resume may be, there's always going to be someone out there whose credentials are even more impressive. It's an employer's market these days and hiring companies have a range of quality job candidates from which to select. So how does one stay motivated when it feels like you've been forgotten by the world? It isn't easy, but it really is crucial to stay in a proper, professional frame of mind.
A positive attitude can carry a job-seeker far. I know this from personal experience. When I was laid off in 2008 from a proofreading position that I'd held at a midsize firm for nearly 3-1/2 years, it was en masse, as I was joined by roughly 40-plus of my fellow employees. As we received our respective pink slips and glumly exited the premises, one of the IT guys -- who'd just lost his job -- called out above the crowd and proclaimed, "Remember, when a door closes, a window opens!" It was a simple cliche, but it needed to be said and it immediately changed the mood in the room for the better. We were still shell-shocked about the loss of employment, but we were better able to cope, as we had been given the priceless gifts of hope and comfort. And this guy really did practice what he preached because he kept a positive attitude all throughout his job search and was the first in our layoff group to find work six weeks later.
Now I'm sure you're thinking that the IT guy had all the right credentials, and since there's a constant demand in the IT industry for qualified folk, he wasn't in any long-term danger of remaining unemployed. But the truth of the matter is that this man does not have a Bachelor's degree. He has years of experience, but lacks the educational validation. But ultimately, the education issue was moot point as his best credential was -- and still is -- his positive attitude. He has an unwavering belief in himself that he can find work, do the work, and do it well. And he does, which is why his job search was both successful and short-lived.
What is your coping mechanism? If you're unemployed and discouraged about the job-search (and it's easy to be distressed), what has helped you deal with the reality of unemployment? Or are you still searching for a way to stay motivated? For me, the real lifesaver has been this blog. It provides me with a sense of accomplishment, gives me a daily sense of purpose, and it's definitely a good thing to have on a resume. It's a practical, economical pursuit as it helps keep my writing skills sharp and the only cost is the internet connectivity, which I need in any event so I can search for work and email those resumes -- a positive frame of mind fully intact.
