FIRST DAY DIRECTION

It happens. You get all pumped up to look for a new job, get your resume and cover letter all spruced up and then... nothing. How do you put the excitement back in your job search?

Your job search may not be the most exciting event that you'll go through but it is one of the most important. The more psyched you are, the more energy you'll have to look through job postings and send out your resume package. If you get bored with the whole process, your job search success could suffer. So keep your eye on the prize and you'll reach your goals more quickly and easily.

You created the resume.  You composed the cover letter.  You bought the suit to dress for success.  You applied for various job openings and now you wait.  You wait for the phone to ring inviting you to interview.  You wait to learn of job leads.  Waiting…it’s a hard place to be in a job search. 

The in-between time in a job search can be a lonely, isolating time.  Suddenly, it seems like everyone is working except you.  The job search can make you feel benched, out of the game and more of a spectator rather than a player.  It’s easy to get the job-hunting blues…that place of being in limbo. 

Often, our mindset can be our enemy or ally.  It’s a matter of perspective.  The negative mindset can start to gnaw at us with belittling comments.  We can start to second-guess ourselves with questions regarding our performance, what we could have done differently, how we could have prevented our situation, and so on. 

The feelings of leaving or losing a job when nothing better is on the immediate horizon are described in the Kübler-Ross Model on Death and Dying.  Kübler-Ross identified the five stages as denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance (not necessarily in order).  Likewise, not having income, loss of benefits, and losing a sense of belonging and security are part of the grief process…so is waiting.

While you are in this place, you might feel the sense of the cup as half full.  It’s an important time for self-care.  The dark skies will eventually clear, but taking care of you, reaching out to others and accepting an outreached hand can make the journey less agonizing. 

Here are some tips to help you cope with the job-hunting blues...

Ten Keys to a Successful Job Search

We Christians, as Paul reminds us, have our citizenship in heaven. This means that, here below, we are “resident aliens,” at work in the world, but our eyes fixed on a transcendent goal. This makes us, paradoxically enough, the best friends the world ever had.