JOB SEARCH DESPERATION

Feeling a sense of desperation + panic when you think about your job search? If so, you are not alone. As each day passes by that you are unemployed, the more distant you may become from the routine of work. Over an extended period of time the idea of working may become unfamiliar to you. Imagining working becomes difficult and foreign to you. This unfamiliarity may add to your feelings of panic and anxiousness. Eventually, a sense of desperation sets in.

To an employer in an interview, you may come across as desperate. And desperation is not going to land you a job.
Some tips to help you prevent or minimize the feeling of desperation many jobseekers experience are as follows:

1. Set a job search schedule very similar to a work schedule so that you maintain a sense of regularity
and familiarity

2. Keep on top of your industry. For instance, make a point of reading the business paper; the career section of the weekend newspaper; subscribe to online newsletters; open a Twitter acct and follow your industry; utilize LinkedIn groups

3. Network. Avoid becoming isolated. Maintain your social contacts. Consider volunteering. Being unemployed doesn't mean that you have a curse! Do not be afraid to let your circle of friends and family know that you are looking for work.

4. Recognize and understand that the job may not be immediate. Be diligent and patient.

5. Respond to job leads immediately and develop a follow-up routine for job applications as well as  thank you notes or emails for interviews that you have attended.

6. Practice positive self-talk regularly.

7. Make time to relax as well as to exercise; do things periodically to take your mind off of your job search

8. Before attending an interview, breathe deeply and be aware of how you are coming across to the interviewer. Remember, desperation will not land you the job. Try and relax as much as possible.

9. And last but not least, maintain hope and belief in yourself. And remember that persistence, determination and patience will lead you to the light at the end of the job search tunnel!

                                                                                                                        -Sunny + Sassy