Beating Job Search Burn Out!

Are you ready to get hired NOW? Is it finally time to put those job hunting blues behind you? Start with these seven ideas for reinvigorating your search. You CAN beat job search burn out!

1. Diagnose the situation as if you were looking in from the outside. Are you effectively using the tools and resources that are at your fingertips? Are you headed in the right direction? Are you moving swiftly enough or are you dragging your feet?

2. Jot down the “yeah, but’s” then knock them out one at a time: I’m too old, I’m too young, I didn’t go to college, I went to the wrong college, my skills are outdated, there’s a hiring freeze.  We all have them and they hold us back from achieving our goals and dreams.

3. Get outside of your head. Journal about what is working and is not working in your job search. Writing can help you exorcise the twin demons of doubt and fear and force the inner critic out in the open where you can more easily deal with it.

4. Sit down with trusted friends and find out what they like best about you and what they see as your most important gifts and skills. Listen to what they tell you and take action on their feedback.   

5. Get five points every day! Four specific events are needed to land a job. 1.) A referral, lead, or introduction to a potential decision-maker 2.) An appointment with the person making the hiring decision 3.) Meeting with the hiring person, and 4.) A commitment from the decision-maker to hire you, or take action that directly leads to hiring you. A lead is worth one point, an appointment is two points, an interview is three points, and a commitment is four points. This is a great method for focusing on those activities which lead to a job!

6. Consider every “no” one step closer to “yes”. Your job search is essentially a sales job. In sales you are going to rack up some “no’s” before you get to “yes”. Always, always, always ask for the sale, don’t be discouraged when the answer is “no”, consider it a “maybe”. Refine your approach and try again.

7. Take the weekend off. Everyone needs a break from work. The job search is your work. If you carry it around 24/7 you’ll quickly burn out. With the exception of informal networking opportunities that present themselves, give your job search a rest Friday afternoon so you can approach it with renewed enthusiasm Monday morning.