Trying to find a job while you’re unemployed can be a frustrating experience. You wake up and grab your morning coffee, hoping that just maybe you’ll have an email from a friend with a lead, and when that doesn’t happen you end up surfing the same job sites or canvassing the same neighborhoods, continually steeling yourself against disappointment.
This is probably a scenario many of us are pretty familiar with in this time of mediocre job growth. Unfortunately, you need money to live and a job to make money, so it’s something that must be done.
To prevent you from going completely crazy on your search, below we offer some suggestions for smaller goals to keep you going while you strive for that ultimate prize of a weekly paycheck.
Check every day. Yes, we just wrote about how soul-crushing it can be to check in vain for jobs every morning, but make yourself do it – you don’t want to skip the one day when that perfect job does show up. If there are four or five sites you like better than others, make it part of your routine to check them all each morning and possibly each night.
Go for drinks. Or lunch. Or meetings. Basically – network. The best way to get a job is through personal connections, so contact friends who work in the industry or occupation you would like to get and see if they are willing to let you pick their brain. Try to set up at least one “networking” meeting like this each week.
Better yourself. It may seem counterintuitive to spend money on something like classes (especially if you’re on a super-tight unemployment budget), but if you are trying to get a position that requires a specific skillset, taking a class or two might be just the thing you need. Not only will it allow you to gain new skills (or brush up on old ones), it will put you in a position to befriend people just like you who might be able to help you find the job you want. Find at least one new opportunity in the New Year to improve your resume.
Hello, my name is… Not to beat a dead horse, but networking is probably the single more important thing you can do, and if you can find any events in your area related to the field you’re trying to get into, you need to go to them and talk to everyone you can. This casts a wider net than setting up meetings just within your contact group, and will likely net you new contacts who can help. Look for networking events in your area that you can attend regularly.
Leave the house every day. Whether you’re sitting at Starbucks for an hour, going for a run, or volunteering a food bank, you need to set a goal of getting out of the house and being around other people to maintain your sanity and keep yourself refreshed. That way, you’ll be ready to search for more jobs the next day. Plus, you never know who you might meet if you’re out and about that could help you.
What are your goals for searching for work in 2015?
