
Typically, a job hunt presents frustrations regardless if you’re a seasoned professional or a newbie. The number of people applying for jobs and an employer’s speed (or total lack) of response can put you on edge. Toughening up to build resilience and accepting rejection are keys to staying motivated while you’re looking. Here are some other ways to keep your motivation up when applying for jobs.
Embrace feedback. As hard as it is to hear, rejection is valuable feedback. It’s easy to see it as failure, but it you start to look into the things you could have done differently and see it as a way to improve, you’ll grow from it. You might be fortunate and have the employer you wanted to work for tell you why they didn’t choose you. Perfect. This gives you concrete things you can work on. Otherwise, ask yourself what you can learn from this rejection and see what comes to the surface. Just this shift in mindset goes a long a way.
Seek support. As with anything tough, don’t try to do this on your own. If you’re growing increasingly frustrated with your job search, look for support. Stay connected with friends, colleagues, and mentors who can relate and offer you encouragement and a different perspective. Also, don’t hesitate to get professional help in the form of a career coach. They are experienced in helping people in aggravating positions just like you’re in now.
Try something new. If you’re in a rut with your job search and not getting any results, break out of your mold. Set a routine and break down what you have to do into more manageable tasks. For example, set a goal of applying to so many positions per week or contacting a certain number of potential people to network with on social media. Stay flexible and constantly assess your strategy to keep a feeling of being in control.
Setbacks and frustrations are annoying, but that’s how we really develop resilience. We have to be exposed to not getting what we want over and over to form the thick skin that propels us to get back out there and try different things. Then, one of those different things will eventually pan out and cause you to find what works to attract a particular employer. It’s not an easy road but worth the effort if you just stick with it.
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