7 Ways To Stay Positive During Your Job Hunt!

Staying positive during a job hunt is difficult. There is no way around that truth – and anyone who has been in the situation will be able to confirm it. It’s a stressful time!

It’s not just the stress caused by the unknowing, and the insecurity of not having a job pinned down – but it’s the effort you’re constantly putting in (registering with job boards, writing cover letters, going to interviews, sending out applications) and the minimal response you may be getting back. There’s nothing quite so disheartening as rejection – especially on a professional level.

For many people, the very idea of job hunting makes their palms sweaty and the panic starts to settle in. But it doesn’t have to be that way. There are ways you can make the whole job hunting experience more positive, and different methods and techniques you can put into place that will hopefully lighten your mood and make the time a more relaxing one.

Keep reading for tips on how:

1 – Embrace the situation and learn to accept it If you’re finding yourself job hunting because you’ve just lost a job or been fired – allow yourself time to grieve that position and come to terms with the loss. Financially this may not be long – as we can’t usually afford a month without a paycheque – but give yourself a couple of days to accept the situation and move on with life. Doing this will help you feel more positive about the next part of the process, and you may even start to feel excited to look for new positions.

2 – Remind yourself why you’re looking If you’re job hunting because you need a change of scene – or because your current job isn’t a good fit anymore, then keep reminding yourself of this. Reminding yourself of the reason you’re job hunting is the perfect way to spur yourself on and boost your enthusiasm once more. Think about the job you’ll have soon, and think about every way in which it will improve your life. Then strive forwards to find it.

3 – Remember it’s completely normal Don’t feel isolated during your job hunt, because (believe it or not) it is a normal process and plenty of other people are also going through the same thing you are. Confide in friends and discuss with them your progress or any worries you have – you may even find out you have a friend in the same situation who can become your job hunt buddy!

4 – Find a job hunt buddy Leading on from the previous point on this list, finding a job hunt buddy is really important. It’s someone who knows what your going through, and who you can confide in on a regular basis about the job hunt and how it’s going. For many people, this will be a boyfriend or a girlfriend. It’s someone who will cheer you on, wish you luck before an interview, and give you a shoulder to cry on if things don’t work out.

5 – Don’t forget to socialise It’s easy to let job hunting become your life when your searching, but try not to forget to socialise and meet-up with friends and family. Doing so will remind you of life outside of the ‘job hunting bubble’ and it’ll give you the happiness and energy to keep going too. It never hurts to take the afternoon off, especially if it means you go back to applications the next day with a smile on your face.

6 – Find alternative ways of submitting your CV If you work in a visual industry, or the media for example – sometimes submitting a different, untraditional CV or a video advertising your skills can inject a lot of fun back into your job hunt. Try making a video CV, and invite a friend round to help you film it! Or maybe create an online portfolio and use the chance to brush up on some design skills and web skills! Things like this will help you enjoy the process much more.

7 – Don’t forget to reach high Half the fun of applying for jobs is applying for jobs you could only dream of! Fancy yourself as a budding chef or running a hotel? Even if you don’t have the experience for certain roles – never miss out on the chance to prove yourself. Take these kinds of applications with a pinch of salt – and apply on the off chance they might give you a chance. A lot of us downplay out experience when we’re job hunting, so make sure you don’t. Apply for your dream company (even if you don’t think you’ll get it). You never know, and you’ll feel much more positive knowing you gave it a try.