"Looking for work is the hardest job of all!"
Maybe Today Might Be Different…
Maybe today might be different…
You’ve got a fresh coffee brewed… and the daily paper ready on the dining table. You flip the paper open to the employment section and quickly scan the current job vacancies!
There’s the same old stuff! Jobs you applied for ages ago are still there? What’s with that?
Oh wait… there are some new ones that interest you. You circle them with the red pen and write down their details.
After a few quick phone calls, things seem to be looking up! You’ve scored an interview for the afternoon, and another employer wants you to drop your resume in asap.
A quick look on the computer to see what’s new there. Literally, hundreds of vacancies stream across your screen! Arghhh! None of them are what you really want!
You decide to have a quick look at Facebook… maybe there is something there in one of the local groups?
Ooops… it’s amazing how time flies!!!
All of a sudden you realise you’re hungry! It’s lunch time! Better get cracking and get ready for that interview!
You’ll probably try to hand out a few more resumes while you are out this afternoon too…
You head out the door in a positive frame of mind!
But several hours later, you’re back home again with no good news to share.
Another day gone… and the same old result!
And tomorrow?
Well, maybe tomorrow might be different. Hopefully, the paper will be on time…
Have you seen the movie “Groundhog Day“?
Phil (Bill Murray) is a weatherman trapped in a time warp.
He is doomed to relive the same day over and over again. But eventually, hPhil gets it right and gets back to “normal”.
Does it make any sense to keep repeating the same stuff day after day when you are searching for work?
How many more days are you going to keep doing the same UNsuccessful stuff?
How many more days before you realise, like Phil, that you need to change something???
After several weeks (or months) of looking for work, it certainly gets harder and harder to maintain your motivation!
Rejections… or possibly even worse, NO response – from all those job applications can take their toll!
So What CAN You do Differently?
Start by Looking at Your Resume
When was the last time you updated it? Do you use a “generic” one-size-fits-all resume?
Or are you able to craft a DIFFERENT one to suit different job openings? Do you redo it each time to address the selection criteria specified in the job advert?
Create a “master” resume on the computer with all the bells and whistles… Then adjust it to suit specific jobs as they come up.
Don’t Wait to Apply for an Advertised Vacancy
One of our “Handy tips” at the top of each screen is:
“Avoid the application process! Deal directly with the person who can hire you!”
If you wait for a position to be advertised, then you DO become (just) another part of the “process”!
How well has THAT been working for you to date?
So…
Tell Everyone
Yep… you’ve already told your friends, family, extended family, neighbours, and acquaintances that you are looking for work! But how many months ago was that?
Have you gently “reminded” them again? Lately? Asked (not nag) them if they have heard of anything?
Pound the Pavement
There are two strategies here.
The first and most obvious is to get out there, physically, and hand out that resume! Do the rounds of ALL the local businesses!
Knock on doors and ask if they are hiring. Leave your resume if they are not. And make sure you follow-up a few weeks later!
Try to hand out at least 10-20 resumes each time you do this. Record all the details – who, what, where, when, etc – for follow-up.
You will need to keep good notes and a diary!
The second is to make cold calls – either by phone, or by letter – to companies you’d like to work for.
Address these to the actual person (find out their name and position) who might be doing the hiring. If you posted, follow up several days later to ask if they received your letter.
Note… these are simple follow-ups! Just DON’T pester them every other day for months 🙂
Most people do NOT use these approaches in their job search. But if you are not taking the advantage, someone else will!
You can’t afford to miss out on making yourself known to employers BEFORE the job posting is made public.
Avoid Bad Habits
I know personally that it’s very easy to sit in front of the TV day after day… Often it even feels more rewarding. After all, there’s no rejection if you never apply for anything is there? 😉
The trouble is you can develop lazy habits and poor attitudes. And these DO come across through your applications/interviews etc.
The best way to avoid getting into that type of “rut” is to do something different every day of the week. Don’t follow the same schedule every day!
Looking for work can almost a full-time job in itself. You can certainly find lots of things to keep you busy. Phone calls, applications, interviews, cold calls, online applications, follow-up calls/visits, redoing resumes, doing courses… etc etc
If you want/need a break from that, then find something else to do that is “constructive”! Around the house? In your community? Something that can keep you busy, and your mind occupied!
Besides, community work looks good on your resume LOL
So do different tasks every day.
Then tomorrow WILL be different 🙂
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