Tips for Staying Motivated in your Job Search

Plan ahead for being unemployed, this will help you to manage stress. Save in advance for a period of unemployment and take a part time or contract job. 

Build job search time into the week so that your other commitments such as a part-time job don't take precedence.

A 6-12 month job search is the norm, so don’t be discouraged and quit after a few months. Keep networking, keep researching, and keep applying for jobs!

Accept that you won't be able to control all aspects of your job search.

Frame your unemployment as "self-employment" during your job search.  You are the product you are marketing to employers.  Self employment requires structure, specific working hours and an office.

Review your skills and strengths, positive attributes and achievements daily. 

Keep a daily journal.  Note especially the positive and upbeat things that have happened in your life or your job search.  Read it when you are feeling down. 

Change discouragement into positive action and determination to get moving with your job search again.  Don’t give up readily.  Recognize your personal excuses to avoid looking for work. 

Associate with people who are positive and encouraging.  Avoid, if at all possible, those with a negative view of the world.

Keep up your diet, appearance and exercise routine.  Dress for your job search as you would in the office.

Ensure your activity in your job search is productive. Networking is the most successful job search technique so give it the greater portion of your time.

Use your strengths in job search to build up your weaknesses.  Introverts are good at planning and research, but need more preparation time for the face to face, people activities.  Extroverts are more comfortable in face to face meetings but need to learn to listen well, to allow enough time for planning and research and to keep their answers concise.

Set realistic daily, weekly and long-term goals.  Review your achievements nightly and prepare the next day’s job search goal. If you achieve the daily goal, you may decide to work ahead or reward yourself with a more pleasurable activity.  In either event, you have been successful and are moving ahead toward your job objective.

Evaluate what you have done regularly; correct it (if needed) and go on from there.

Develop a support network of family, friends and mentors.  Join a job search club or support group.  Ask for help.

Volunteer!  It gives you an opportunity to use and improve your skills, as well as to keep your spirits up.  It can also be an important part of the job search and lead to new contacts.

Reward yourself.  Find ways to relax and rewards that do not require a lot of money

Keep your sense of humour during the job search.  People who have been turned down for jobs can easily develop a negative frame of mind which is likely to come through in interviews and decrease your chances of getting a job.