What to Do if Job Search is Taking Forever

In this economy, a long job search effort is unfortunately more the norm than the exception. It can be very defeating and job searchers can easily run out of ideas of what to do next. Here are three articles that may help:

  1. Can’t find a job – 8 side gigs that actually make you money
  2. 6 reasons they didn’t call you back
  3. 6 Tips to finding a job after college

Here is a summary of their practical advice and my thoughts

  • Network, network, network – both articles talk about this. Even if you have talked to everyone you know. Go back, be concrete with what you need help on, and follow up. Nurture your relationships over time and I would also add avoid networking faux pas. I will write about one of these in another post. Also try to expand your network by going to new events and meeting new people.
  • Don’t take silence personally and have realistic expectations – as the first article highlights, many reasons that company don’t call back have nothing to do with you – like job disappeared due to budget cuts or they are swamped
  • Make it easy for company to know why you are good fit – do all the work in your resume and interviews to tell them why you are the best fit. No one at the company has the time to do this for you. Also, follow direction. If they want past work samples, do it. If they want you to do math problems, do it. It’s their job opening, they can do pretty much anything that is legal. Don’t complain as that will immediately disqualify you in this tough market. Lastly follow up in a week if you don’t hear from them. Just don’t be a pest.
  • Expand search criteria – to things like part time or contract work. Being more flexible and creative can help you find more opportunities.
  • Have a life at the same time – job search is an emotional roller coaster and can be very depressing. Still go out and have fun. Allow yourself breaks or even plan trips every few months to give your mind and emotions a break.
  • Get help – get a friend to look at your resume or do mock interviews and/or hire a career coach that can give you a professional perspective. But remember, most of the work depend on your effort. Your friends or a coach can only be guides. You cannot expect them to do the work for you. It doesn’t work that way.

Ultimately, hang in there. A job is out there for you. You just have to hang on and do the best you can. Remember “if there is no struggle, there is no progress.” Good luck out there! ...  read more

Acknowledge Your Effort for Showing Up

show-up

“Acknowledge your effort for showing up.” That is what a Bikram teacher used to say to us at the end of every class.   To this day, I still repeat this phrase to myself during class.   It reminds me to appreciate myself for simply making the class, regardless of how inflexible I was, or how imperfectly I was able to do the postures during that particular class. ...  read more

Job Search is Your Job

“The trouble with unemployment is that the minute you wake up in the morning you’re on the job”. — Slappy White

Job search is the job you have when you are between jobs. Like any other jobs,

  1. It needs to be a full time effort (30-40 hours a week consistently) if you want to achieve any level of success quickly.
  2. It requires a certain set of skills that are developed over time. No one is born good at this, but anyone can learn to master it.
  3. You need to make yourself accountable, since you are also your own boss in this “job.” Consider getting a “boss buddy” (a topic of a future post)
  4. The skills you build are as important as the result you achieve, because the result you achieve (finding a job) is only helpful to this effort, but the skills you learn for job search can help you a life time.

What can you do to fill up 30-40 hours a week consistently you may ask? Well, check out the Job Search Checklist. Good Luck out there! ...  read more

Resilience – Fall Seven Times, Stand up Eight

A good friend of mine (thanks Jamie) forwarded this video to me, and I thought it would be fitting to share it here. More than half of the battle in a job search is actually the emotional aspect — thinking positive, staying in action, and “standing up” when you feel “knocked down” by the lack of results. This type of resilience is what will separate those who give up from those who persevere. ...  read more

We can all learn from a 1 year old!

My daughter is 1 year old and just started walking. I am amazed how relentless she is at learning how to walk. Every day she would fall down many times and then get right back up again to try again. Her face is full of excitement as she takes more steps and now only after a few weeks, she has gone from only walking a few ginger steps slowly to practically running down the corridor. ...  read more

Survival is the Name of the Game

Everyone seems to know someone who is unemployed or just got laid off these days. While I don’t want you to give up on the dream of your dream job, a health dose of realism needs to set in right now. It’s all about survival in this market. It’s a buyer’s market. Employer can have their pickings today of talent out there as some of the most talented people (like you) are out of work today. ...  read more

One Step at a Time

I am also not immune to have doubts once in awhile, despite my own advice. It’s human I guess. As I look at my blog posts, I think is the tone too preachy? would it help anyone? does it sound practical? Initial doubts can then easily lead to de-motivation if I indulge on them – what if people think xyz? what if this is a waste of time? what if ….? ...  read more