The Long Job Hunt: Keeping Your Head

Getting a job, as I’m sure you’re aware, can be extremely tough. While unemployment rates are falling and the rise of remote working has opened up a range of new opportunities, countless people still find themselves getting lead after lead, interview after interview, which never seem to go anywhere. If you’re finding it hard to keep going with all this rejection, here are a few tips to keep your head.

Focus on the Basics

Getting stuck in a long job hunt can really take its toll on the fundamentals of your day to day life. You’ll get tired, lose faith, become embittered, and your personal finances can often take a severe blow. While it’s easy to let certain things slide when you’re in such a tough position, it’s essential that you make room for the basics. You can keep your mind nourished with constant learning which kindles your interest in your chosen field and gets you thinking outside the box. Nourish your body with a healthy diet, enough exercise and a healthy amount of sleep. Above all else, keep your finances from bleeding wherever possible. You may be chewing over questions like what should I downsize on? How do I get into freelancing? How long does it take to get a tax rebate? Getting a good handle on your finances is essential to staying positive during a long job hunt.

Remember It’s a Process

Every journey starts with a single step. Every novel starts with a single word. Similarly, every successful job hunt starts with a single application. The process of landing your next job might mean getting a hundred rejections, or it might mean getting one. Whenever you’re finding it tough to carry on, just remember that it’s a process like any other, and you won’t get any closer to your goal without putting the work in! You may need to widen your search a little, and get creative with the way you compose cover letters. You may need to take a leap of faith, and apply for a role you never thought you’d see yourself in. No matter how you change things up and experiment, stay committed and keep sending out those applications!

Grandiose Your Way to Success

Things may look bleak right now, but the fact that you’re reading this post counts for a lot more than you may think. You’ve come much farther than many people do in a long period of unemployment. The fact that you’re still looking means that you’ve had some tough times, struggled with difficult circumstances, gritted your teeth through it carried on fighting. Everyone who finds themselves unemployed or stuck in a career rut has one of two options – they can either stand tall and take a bite out of the challenges that chance has given them, or throw their hands up and stop trying. People do some pretty incredible things, but one of the most incredible and most common is the act of putting one foot in front of the other, simply because you don’t want to live with the alternative.