Today is our final blog post on keeping positive if you are suffering from a spell of the January blues. Here is suggestion number 5:
• Be kind to yourself. Don’t beat yourself up about being out of work or in the event that you are turned down for a job or interview. Being turned down can feel very personal, however, remember you were just not right for this particular role. It does not mean that you won’t be right for the next one. You are not alone and beating yourself up and passing negative messages to yourself about your skills, abilities and experience is not helpful.
Take a moment to check out how you are feeling about your job search currently and don’t let the January blues get in your way.
We’re still focussed on how you can stay motivated with your job search during January. Here’s suggestion number 4:
• Try and eat healthily. It can be comforting to turn to food if you are home alone or if your job search is not going as you hoped or if you have not been selected for interview. Eating healthily enhances energy and helps keep the mind focussed.
Visit the blog tomorrow for our final blog on overcoming the January blues.
Our blog focus today is still about keeping yourself motivated during your job search should you have a case of the January Blues. Here’s suggestion number 3:
• Keep yourself well rested and sleep at normal times. It can be easy to slip into irregular sleeping habits, i.e. getting up late, taking a nap in the afternoon and then when you feel guilty about your job search efforts, staying up until the early hours of the morning trying to catch up on what you feel you should have done earlier in the day. If you really do need a sleep in the middle of the day, then do it, but try not to make a daily habit of it and avoid irregular sleeping patterns.
See you here again on Monday for Part 4 of this blog series.
You’ll remember if you read our blog yesterday that the focus was on the January blues and how they relate to your job search. Here’s suggestion number 2 on how to keep yourself motivated this month
• Keep in contact with others that motivate and energise you. It can be easy to isolate yourself, so pick up the phone and speak with friends or even better meet up with others face to face. Being with others can act as a great pick you up, give you a different perspective on life and of course you never know one of these people might just know about a job that’s of interest to you.
Take a moment to check out how you are feeling about your job search currently and don’t let the January blues get in your way.
January can seem like a very long month in the UK. The days are long and the nights are dark and the festivities from the holiday season are a distant memory. It can be a tough month to stay positive at the best of times, but if in addition you are currently unemployed then it can be even tougher. I am, therefore, writing this blog post as a way of checking out your current thoughts about your job search. Are the January blues affecting the way you feel about things right now? Do you feel like you may never get the break you want and need? Is it hard to keep yourself motivated to keep searching for a new role, when all you really want to do is go back to bed or slump in front of the TV? What strategies can you use to keep yourself going when things get tough? Over the next few days I’ll outline our suggestions. Today’s is:
• Get outside every day. Take a walk, get out in the air and re-energise yourself. You may even find that the change of scenery gives you new ideas relating to your job search – sometimes when you stop thinking about an issue, that’s when the answers arise.
Come back again tomorrow to find out our other suggestions.
So here we are in week 3 of January 2012. Some of you will be new to job searching and others may well find themselves in the position of having been here for some time and perhaps having taken a break over the holiday season are now back to it, reading online job advertisements or contacting recruitment agents about future roles. It is, however, easy to get into a routine with your job search, particularly if one method has led to some success, i.e. you got an interview but didn’t necessarily get the job. In addition, you may well have convinced yourself that settling down in front of the Internet each day and starting a job search that way is the only way – after all haven’t you been told that everyone advertises online these days and therefore surely this is the only way you’ll find a job. It may also be that searching for a job this way keeps you in your comfort zone. Clicking on job adverts and applying online from the comfort of your home does not mean that you have to go out and talk to new people – something that you may feel less comfortable about.
There are many methods to use when searching for a new role and by using only one method you may well be missing out on opportunities. Is it time to shake up your job search strategy and review all the different methods available? Yes, this might take you out of your comfort zone, but it might also lead to that new job you’re looking for.
Remember, if you keep on doing what you keep on doing, you’ll keep on getting what you keep on getting. Why not make a change today and see where it leads you?
September often heralds a return to a level of normality and routine for a lot of people. Children are back at school, summer holidays are over and people are back at work focussed on goals to take them to the year end. If you are searching for a job, you may well find that interviews are easier to organise now that recruiters and other candidates are back from their holidays.
As September approaches many shop windows display the familiar back to school messages – marketing school uniforms, new pencil cases and notebooks for students to get themselves organised. However, if you are at the beginning of or in the midst of your job search – just how organised are you? If messages from recruiters are written on scraps of paper or your job search filing system is out of control, how can you ensure that you are following up appropriately or at all? How are you measuring your success? Do you know how many applications you have on the go? Can you easily lay your hands on that job description you were sent by the recruiter when the Company calls you for interview?
Searching and finding a new job can take time and requires a level of dedication, commitment and organisation in the same way that many jobs themselves do. As September approaches, why not go out and buy yourself some cheap files in the return to school sales or get an online filing system set up or whatever you require to get yourself organised in relation to your job search.
So the late summer bank holiday weekend is approaching. It’s a time for friends and families to get together to enjoy the last few days of August before the change to September and before children go back to school and a level of routine returns. It is a time when lots of people hold barbecues and outside events in the hope of enjoying some sunshine and the last of the light nights. So what does this have to do with your job search?
If you are invited to one of these events this weekend, you might want to consider your job search message before you go. You don’t necessarily know who will be at the event, who they are connected with and what they do. These people could be a gateway to a new role or opportunity so although it is an informal event – be prepared.
If you are not a subscriber to www.whatsnextforme.co.uk you may not be aware of the concept of having a job search message. This is your message and communication to others about your current career situation. People experience all sorts of emotions when looking for a new job. For example, if you accepted voluntary redundancy from your last employer, you may well be excited and intrigued about what the future holds for you, but if you had to accept redundancy as a forced change to your circumstances, this may well have left you feeling resentful or upset until you are able to come to terms with your situation. Establishing a job search message enables you to talk to others positively about your situation and your intentions for the future. If you are able to talk positively about your aims and ambitions and let go of the past, the people you interact with are far more likely to engage with you and make suggestions or recommendations than if you are bad mouthing your last employer, no matter what your feelings are about how you were treated.
So, if you are heading off to a friend’s barbecue this bank holiday weekend, have a good time, but also have a think about your job search message before you go. You never know who might be there. There may be someone who could link you to your next career opportunity.
In my last blog post, I talked about the possibility of taking a break from your job search and I want to continue a little on this theme. When you are searching for a job, life can seem very serious and the task can become completely encompassing and at times feel overwhelming.
So I say to you STOP and think about what it is you get from having a job. Some of the answers to this question might be around money, supporting family and children, the opportunity to develop, to work with like-minded people, to make a difference, the pension etc etc. But also in there might be the fact that work enables you to enjoy the things you like in life – perhaps a job and the income enables you to travel, perhaps the money you earn enables you to collect antiques or be a member of the golf club. Perhaps it enables you to party on a Friday and Saturday night with your friends or buy the latest Playstation game, or it enables you to pursue your favourite hobby such as fishing or painting. Whatever it is that you get a kick out of; it is likely that a job or the income from the job helps you to find and enjoy the fun things in life.
So when you are searching for a job, remember to take time to do some things that you enjoy and which bring pleasure and fun into your life. These don’t always need to be expensive – taking a walk, having a picnic or getting friends together cost very little and getting on the bus to a nearby town that you haven’t visited before could be the start of a mini adventure. Also while you are out having fun, don’t feel guilty – everyone needs a break and a little down time, particularly if the break refreshes and invigorates you. Give yourself permission to relax and enjoy the time you have set aside for yourself.
Don’t let fun escape from your life. Keep on the look out for opportunities to enjoy yourself as well as on the look out for your new job role.
If you have been searching for a new job for some time whether that is because you are currently out of work or if you are in a role but are looking to make a change, you might want to consider your current schedule and routine. August tends to be a month when many folks are taking holiday with their children or just a time to kick back a bit and enjoy whatever summer weather we are having. You may have found that interviews are taking longer to organise to fit around both candidate and recruiter breaks.
You too might want to consider a summer holiday from your job search or at least to ease back. This doesn’t have to last forever – it can be as short as you choose it to be. You may decide to have a week off from it altogether or even schedule in that you won’t continue your search between 8 and 11 every morning for a while. It is very easy to become consumed by the task of searching for a job and forget about having some time for yourself to help you re-energise and focus your attention. If your family or friends are on holiday why not schedule some time to spend with them. Once you are back in employment, it will become much harder to spend time with others.
So have a think about your job search routines. Could you make a change? Are you ready to take a break from it? You may find that a short break helps you to return to the task with renewed energy and a fresh perspective.