How To Stay Motivated When Job Hunting

The process of landing that great new job or prestigious promotion is often a highly demanding, and at times, disheartening one.

The economy appears to be well on the road to recovery but we are still operating in a bit of a buyer’s market when it comes to recruitment. In other words it is employers who tend to hold the cards.

But I have always been a believer in having a positive mental attitude. No matter how much the odds are stacked against you, your mindset plays a key role. It really is amazing how the tide can turn in your favour as long as you have the right mental approach.

Here are some ways to stay positive while looking for that job or promotion.

Develop a thick skin

Rejection is tough to cope with in any walk of life which means picking yourself up and starting again is sometimes seen as a tough ask. The key is to to develop a thick skin and to shut out any self-doubts or reproach. Remember being rejected is not personal as the recruiter is simply looking for the most suitable candidate to fill the vacant role. If you start to take things personally and brood over each rejection then you will simply be setting yourself up for even more failure and disappointment in the future.

Learn from your mistakes

Whenever I am discussing the concept of failure, I speak about why it is a good thing, and the biggest reason is that it allows you to learn. This is as true as ever in the job hunt. Take a look at every aspect of the application process – from the covering email, to your LinkedIn profile, right through to the interview - and ask yourself what you could improve and what aspects you could be doing differently. If you do come close to landing a job but lose out, then make sure you ask for some feedback. This is something very few candidates attempt, especially when they receive a rejection over email, but it is one of the most important things you will do. Call the interviewer and ask them for an honest appraisal of your skill set and interview. Then act on it to avoid making the same mistakes in the future. After all it could be something really simple that next time can tip the scales in your favour.

Keep things in perspective

It can be tough if you set your heart on a job or a post and then it goes to someone else, but I always advise people to look at the bigger picture. Every time you apply for a job, you are gaining experience. It could be experience in writing speculative applications, handling tricky interview questions, or any number of things. And always take time to celebrate even the small achievements – perhaps this time you got past the telephone interview stage, which you’d not done before. And if, as above, you take on board feedback, then eventually you will gain your rewards because practice does make perfect.

Take time out

Don’t spend every waking hour filling out applications and writing CVs. As well as being bad for your health, it will reduce the quality of what you do. Set yourself a fixed time to search and apply for jobs, then take yourself away from the grind. Do something completely different and more enjoyable; something which takes your mind away from the job search. It may be spending time with family and friends, it may even be some sort of charity work – which also looks good on your CV. Either way, it is crucial you don’t get bogged down and take time to recharge your batteries.

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To celebrate reaching 1 million LinkedIn followers, all this week I'm giving away a series of top tips via video. Stay tuned for this afternoon's tip, and watch yesterday's one here