The Job of Job Hunting

Job hunting in a poor job market is far more stressful than actually having a high-stress job. Not only does it take daily determination to spend hours digging, researching, sending resumes and dealing with rejection, but you also have the constant financial pressures eating away at you, along with a loss of self confidence. With all that working against you, how do you stay motivated to keep hunting week after week?

Set parameters and stick to them: Set aside 5-6 hours, 5 days a week for job search. Specify the hours in the day that will be spent working. Structuring your time will give you a greater sense of this being a job that requires focus and attention each and every day.

Get up, shower, and get dressed: We all dream of a job that we can do in our pajamas, but you will feel, and in turn act, more professional if you are clean and casually dressed.

Set goals: Send 3 resumes, research 2 new companies, and follow up on 2 potential jobs each day. Setting goals will give you something to strive for and give you a sense of accomplishment at the end of the week. Using a resume distribution service like JobsByFax.com may help you multiply your efforts. Rather than sending a few resumes out, you can send thousands in minutes.

Mix it up: If you spent all last week job searching on the internet, plan to spend several days this week out of the house networking and meeting face-to-face with people. A change of scenery can do wonders for your attitude.

Take a break: When your 5 to 6 hours of job hunting for the day is done, then stop. Put your laptop away, take a walk, watch TV, spend time with your family, etc. Do whatever relaxes you and feel good about the hours you invested in your job search.

You said What?

Any hiring manager who has been around for awhile could write a book about the amusing and inappropriate things said in interviews. We all know someone who frequently sticks their foot in their mouth and seems to have no internal censor. If this sounds like you, take a few moments to learn what topics you should avoid in interviews.

• What is the pay/salary for this position? - Although the answer to this question may be a determining factor in whether or not you will want to pursue this job, pay should always be brought up first by the hiring manager. If they ask you what your salary goals are, give them a reasonable range based on the standard within the industry in that particular city.



• Be aware of your grammar - Avoid slang and keep the conversation formal. Change “yea” to “yes”, “thanks” to “thank you”, and “hi” to “good morning/afternoon”, etc. Leave the casual out of the conversation throughout the interview process. And absolutely no profanity.



• Avoid obvious questions about the company - Don’t waste the hiring managers time by walking into an interview without knowing anything about the company. In this age of information overload, there is no excuse for not doing your research before the first interview.



• Speaking negatively about former bosses/employers - Any negativity you bring to an interview is a reflection on you. No matter how bad your previous job was, don’t dwell on it. Briefly state why you left and move on.

Keep personal problems, religious beliefs and medical issues out of the interview process. You may have concerns that will need to be addressed at some point, however wait until you have been offered the job, then schedule a meeting with the Human Resources Manager to discuss these personal issues.