The job search can be an emotionally taxing and discouraging journey. I know from first hand experience as someone who has been jobless 4 times since the start of Covid!! As a self proclaimed expert job seeker and talent acquisition professional, there are certain things I did throughout my layoff journeys that helped me tremendously when looking for a job. Each individual has a different job search strategy, but I hope these tips prove to be helpful and provide some insight if you are ever stuck in a situation where you’ve been laid off or looking for a job yourself. So what should you do as a job seeker? Below are some recommendations to help you maintain mental strength and resilience to keep persisting during your search:
What to do when looking for a job:
- Take time away to reflect and unplug
- Create a routine
- Allow for moments of Spontaneity
- Invest in your physical health and wellbeing
- Surround yourself with positive people
- Rewire your mind to think about the possibilities
- Never give up!
1) Take time away to reflect and unplug
Looking for a job is a full time job. That’s why it’s essential to take time away to rest and recharge if and whenever possible. Especially at the start of my job search journey, I felt the immediate urge to edit my resume, update my experience on my LinkedIn page, and start reaching out to my connections asap to see if they had any opportunities for me. While this is a natural response and makes sense for someone who just lost their primary source of income, I didn’t allow myself the grace to rest, reflect, and validate the emotions I was feeling after just being laid off. In time, this led to me feeling extremely exhausted, burnt out, and defeated after weeks of going through the motions applying to numerous jobs. I spent 8+ hours every single day scanning through job boards, making multiple versions of my resume, and connecting with random people on LinkedIn without being intentional in my search. After weeks of feeling like I was stuck in the movie Groundhog Day, I realized that allowing myself weekends and afternoons to rest and recharge would prove to be much more productive in the long term. I’d have more energy to focus on customizing my resume for specific jobs and crafting detailed outreach messages to hiring managers and recruiters. I also felt more motivated and optimistic that I’d soon find the light at the end of the tunnel, and that in time I would find an opportunity that was right for me. Reflecting, resting, and recharging is a strategy that is often overlooked, but can have numerous benefits to your mental health when looking for a job.
2) Create a routine
Similar to carving out time to rest and recharge, creating a routine can help you maintain structure and order in your week. This allows you to plan and allocate certain hours towards your job search and also personal time. By creating a routine, you’ll be more intentional with how you spend your hours, which will result in feeling like you’re progressing and being productive on a day to day basis. Personally, maintaining a 9-5 work routine with multiple breaks in between really helped me stay on track and meet my daily and weekly job search goals. I would use Google Calendar or a physical planner to create specific time blocks like “apply to job boards”, “reach out to hiring managers”, or “edit resume” to break up my day and focus certain hours on specific tasks. This not only allowed me to achieve my daily job search goals, but it provided a smooth transition from unemployed to employed life. When I finally succeeded in securing a job, I was more than ready to hop into the routine of full-time employee life.
3) Allow for moments of spontaneity
I just mentioned how creating a routine can be beneficial, but allowing yourself to be spontaneous when looking for a job can bring a certain amount of joy and excitement in your life, especially during challenging times. Perhaps one of the advantages of being laid off or looking for a job is that you have more freedom to make spontaneous choices that you didn’t necessarily have before. This could mean finding the courage to try something new like checking out a different part of town, visiting a coffee shop you’ve always wanted to go to, or picking up a new hobby or art class. Of course, your personal financial situation will dictate exactly how much you’re willing or able to spend on spontaneous activities, but even small moments like taking a walk outside, sending a thoughtful message to a friend or loved one, or taking time to play with your child or pet when you would normally be working can be a liberating feeling and allow a shift in perspective. Yes, being laid off is usually a negative life changing event, but on the upside, you probably have a certain amount of autonomy and freedom that you didn’t necessarily have before. You’re not at the mercy of your job having to be somewhere for a certain amount of time clocking in and out of work. Although I didn’t prefer to be laid off from my previous jobs, I really appreciated the spontaneous decisions I made to visit a friend, travel, or pick up a new hobby I wouldn’t have thought of trying before. This helped provide a fresh outlook and new perspective to a particularly difficult situation. When looking for a job, I invite you to allow moments of spontaneity to refresh your mindset and take advantage of the opportunities you may not have had while working.
4) Invest in your physical health and wellbeing
Taking care of your physical health and wellbeing is a top priority when looking for a job. I’m a huge advocate for finding time for physical activity, and I truly believe that exercise not only improves your physical health, but mental wellbeing as well. Exercise for me has been a great way to relieve frustration, anger, or other emotions that arise as a result of being unemployed. I’ve found that when I’ve personally felt down, dancing, weightlifting, or even just going for a walk would immediately improve my mood and boost my energy levels. Whatever your exercise of choice is, choosing a type of exercise you enjoy and can stick to is most important above all else. Exercise should not be seen as punishment, but instead as a tool to become stronger and more empowered. Even if you can only find the motivation to move your body for a few minutes out of the day, a little bit of physical activity is sure to help you improve your confidence, energy, and overall positive outlook.
5) Surround yourself with positive people
In my opinion, the people you surround yourself with definitely have an influence on your mental health and psyche. Surrounding yourself with pessimistic people who make you feel hopeless will negatively impact your outlook when looking for a job, meanwhile positive people who encourage you to keep your head up are sure to be great motivators who will support you throughout your journey. During my previous job searches, I was embarrassed to share the news that I was laid off, especially since it happened multiple times within a couple of years. After my second layoff, I delayed sharing the news with certain friends because I was nervous about how I’d be perceived. I was officially the girl who couldn’t hold a job for more than a year, and that reality was a hard pill to swallow. When spilling the tea with select friends and family members, I was quickly reassured that I had their support and helping hand. This made unemployed life all the more easier because I knew I had people in my corner that would be there for me no matter what. When looking for a job, I realized the support system I had helped me find my way out of unemployment, because they were able to see me for my worth and potential, even when sometimes it was difficult for me to see it in myself.
6) Rewire your mind to think about the possibilities
Have you ever heard the saying rejection is redirection? Well unemployment is redirection as well. Getting let go is, in a weirdly liberating way, an opportunity to discover who you are and what you really truly want in your next career opportunity and life. Maybe you were in a job you hated in a field that you found extremely boring. Now you have the opportunity to take a chance and pursue something different! Maybe you have absolutely no idea what you want to do, but the possibilities are endless and now you have the chance to explore possibilities and say “yes” to things you didn’t consider saying yes to in the past. When I graduated college, I didn’t know what I wanted to do. All I knew was that I needed to start gaining some experience and learning as much as a can about the business world. I talked to whoever would consider talking to me, did a bunch of research on different types of jobs, and said “yes” to as many learning opportunities that I could find. As a result, more opportunities presented themselves to me, and my chances of landing a new opportunity became better.
7) Never give up!
As mentioned before, looking for a job is a mental game, and your mind is your biggest opponent. With the days and months that go by, it becomes increasingly easy for self doubt to creep in and derail you off your track. However, rest assured that if you just keep going, keep applying, and showing up for yourself on a weekly basis, there is no way you will not succeed. When looking for a job, I always told myself that each interview and each application was one step closer to that one “yes” I needed. I knew that if I just kept going, I would eventually get there one way or another. Grit and determination is ultimately what kept me on track, and I just kept pushing through every rejection that was thrown my way. It might take many more months than you are expecting, but sooner or later that job will be yours if you keep persisting.
Closing thoughts…
I hope this post helps spark some motivation or insight into how you should approach your job search moving forward. They may seem like small tips, but they were extremely helpful tools I utilized when looking for jobs in the past. By implementing just a couple of these recommendations, you may find that your motivation, confidence, and perspective will change for the better.
If you’d like to get in touch to learn what else you should do when looking for a job (from an expert job seeker and laid off employee), please feel free to schedule a meeting with me so that I can help you achieve your own personal career goals!