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How to Maintain Motivation During a Job Search

The path of any job search has obstacles and challenges to navigate. Even seasoned professionals can struggle to find motivation while searching for a new opportunity. This lack of motivation, especially with everything going on in the world today, can be detrimental. If you have been looking for a new job for months, it is easy to lose focus and feel defeated. As a result, the process tends to linger on. If the outcome is looking a little foggy, here are three ways you can maintain motivation during a job search.

Develop a search strategy

The most efficient way to tackle your job search is to develop a strategy. You will likely find yourself stuck in the mud if you are just aimlessly applying for jobs. Instead, create a plan that will help elevate your search. Take a hard look at your skills, experience, and industry background to mindfully apply for jobs. Your strategy will help you identify positions that are a good fit for your background and career goals; it will also assist with weeding out jobs that may not be a good use of your time and energy.

Be sure to regularly reassess your strategy as your job search continues. If you have been looking for months with no luck, it may be time to rethink it.

Take care of yourself

There is an old myth that your job search should be your top priority, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. This belief is absolutely incorrect – YOU should be the top priority at all times. That means your mental and physical health, as well as your family, should take precedent. If you are not your best self, your job search will suffer, so be sure to make yourself a priority. Schedule breaks, (safely) socialize with friends and family, get some exercise, and ensure you are getting enough rest. If you hit a brick wall with your search, don’t be afraid to take some time off. Like with work, you have to separate yourself so you can maintain motivation during a job search and come back feeling refreshed.

Continue to leverage your network

Throughout your search, you must consistently leverage your network. That means you cannot just reach out to a few people initially and call it good. To be effective, you must engage with your network and reach out and introduce yourself to new professionals in your desired fields. LinkedIn is your best bet for building up your network.

Make a post sharing that you are open to new opportunities and ask connections for introductions to hiring managers. You never know who someone else knows until you ask. Also, if you don’t share that you are out of work, how can your network support you? Continue to leverage your network through every step of your job search (and be sure to share with them when you finally succeed!). Talking with your network will help you maintain motivation during a job search and unlock doors you didn’t know existed.

These are just a few ways to maintain motivation during a job search. Please take care of yourself, take time to separate yourself from a stressful search, and use your connections to help you succeed!

The Only Thing Standing in The Way of Your Goals is YOU

Goals

Whether you are just entering the workforce or have been working for years, everyone has career goals. While some goals are loftier than others, they are often simple to state or describe. It’s easy to say you one day hope to hold a certain title, start your own business, work in a specific city, or graduate with a Master’s Degree. For most, describing the path to this end goal is a much harder task.

There are so many decisions, variables, and experiences along the way. And many get caught up in daydreaming about what they hope the future holds, instead of actively working towards their desired outcome. Without a plan, the process of attaining these goals can feel overwhelming. This paralyzing feeling can derail your ambitions from becoming reality, but here is how we combat this.

Stop Procrastinating

Procrastination. While this is a term that we familiar with, many of us still suffer from procrastination daily. That paralyzing feeling mentioned earlier is what leads to us procrastinating. And this ultimately prevents us from reaching our long-term goals. Tim Urban, an expert on procrastination,  brilliantly explains why we procrastinate in a Ted Talk from 2016.

While using a colorful metaphor involving monsters and monkeys, Tim argues that people are wired to want instant gratification and make decisions based on this want. When work is required, this gratification is not instant, and people tend to put off this work until panic sets in. Panic takes the form of deadlines, due dates, and other time-sensitive requirements, often associated with short-term tasks, assignments or goals. With a deadline looming, it is as if a switch flips in a person, and all the sudden it is time to make that phone call, send that email or meet with that person.

However, with long-term goals, procrastination can be even more troublesome. Goals that have no deadlines do not come with the benefit of panic motivating you to begin. Things like a career change or going back to the gym can consistently be put on the back burner, telling yourself that you can always start tomorrow. Tim describes this process saying, “It’s that long-term procrastination has made them feel like a spectator, at times, in their own lives. The frustration is not that they couldn’t achieve their dreams; it’s that they weren’t even able to start chasing them.”

From Start to Finish

So how do we escape this cycle, motivate ourselves to start and to finish? For both short-term and long-term goals, the most important step is getting started. Implementing a routine that emphasizes discipline and action is crucial to your success, as it helps accomplish tasks that you do not necessarily want to do, but know we have to do. The 5-Second Rule emphasizes beginning a task by counting down from five, pushing productivity and making decisions. Starting is a choice, made easier by attaching a tangible timeline, which in this case is 5 seconds long.

Another strategy is to consider is making your bed each morning. When you begin your day by accomplishing a task, it makes the tasks that will follow much easier to accomplish. It also gets you in the necessary mindset that enables success in anything you do; no matter how big or small. The man behind this philosophy is Navy Adm. William H. McCraven who says, “Making your bed will also reinforce the fact that the little things in life matter. If you can’t do the little things right, you’ll never be able to do the big things right. And if by chance you have a miserable day, you will come home to a bed that is made — that you made. And a made bed gives you encouragement that tomorrow will be better.”

Long-term goals

For goals that are longer-term, the strategies above are great for getting started. But what can we do to constantly be working towards something that is not as clear? The key is forming a solid, strategic plan. Goals that involve several parts, that sometimes can take years, are hard to wrap our heads around. There can be so many variables to consider or changes that may occur, plans can become jumbled if not done well.

First, plan backward and specifically. How do you define success? Then, set benchmarks that will create a clear path moving forward. Ask yourself, “What do I need to do in ten years, five years, one year or in six months to go from where I know, to where I want to be?” Write these benchmarks down and begin each month with a to-do list that is on track with your goal’s nearest benchmark. These benchmarks should be quantifiable, measurable and descriptive. Track things like increases in salary or hours worked, as opposed to variables that can change daily, like your overall happiness. As you accomplish these monthly to-do lists and begin meeting benchmarks, the path to your goal will only become clearer. And you will begin to wonder why you did not start sooner!

It is important to recognize that good things often do not come easy. The ability to reach the goals we set for ourselves requires foresight, patience, and perseverance. Planning backed in research is wonderful, but useless unless implemented and acted on. The first step is always the hardest and most crucial. So why not start today?

How to Keep Motivated at Work During the Summer

How to Keep Motivated at Work During the Summer

It’s creeping towards the end of July. The weather is finally nice. It’s hot outside and there’s nowhere you’d rather be than the lake. It’s the middle of summer and you feel the motivation slipping. It can be difficult to stay productive when summer is upon us, but unfortunately, that pile of paperwork won’t get finished by itself! Here are three tips to help keep your motivation during the summer.

Spend some time outside during your lunch break

Can’t afford to take some time off? We get it, it happens to everyone when the projects start to pick up. But that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the great summer sunshine!

Take advantage of your lunch break to go outside and soak up some rays. Go take a 30-minute walk or take your lunch outside to eat. Spending just a few minutes of your day outside does wonders for your motivation. Getting just a little taste of summer during the work day will boost your mood and keep you focused.

Break your daily tasks down into a list

When your motivation begins to slide, it’s always a good idea to create a plan or to-do list for yourself. Write down all the things you want to get accomplished and prioritize them.

Do the most important tasks at the beginning of the day when your motivation is at its highest. As the day ticks away and summer’s heat starts to affect your motivation, it gets more and more difficult to stay focused. By working on your most pressing tasks at the beginning of the day, you will ensure that you get your most critical work done first (and done well!).

Take a vacation

If you’re really feeling the dog days of summer, use up some of your vacation time if you have some saved up. The best way to improve your motivation at work is to actually take some time away and relax. After all, that’s what your vacation time is for!

You’ll return feeling rejuvenated and ready to take on the world! If you don’t have a ton of time off available or you’re absolutely slammed at work, just try taking a Friday or Monday off to make it a long weekend. Even just taking an extra day off will help you enjoy some of the summer fun and take a step back from work to stimulate that slipping motivation.

Still need some motivation?

Check out some of our favorite inspirational quotes to help you keep chugging away.

M is for Motivation: How to Keep Your Motivation During a Job Search

job search motivation

It’s easy to get stuck in the frustrating cycle of what is known as a job search. Trust me, you’re not alone. It’s normal to feel defeated after searching for a different iteration of basically the same job over and over again.

However, with a few simple changes, you can revive your motivation to continue the job hunt. Dig yourself out of your motivational slump with these five tips.

Rework your job search to-do list

When your motivation is at an all-time low, it’s difficult to complete the same tedious tasks. Writing cover letters, customizing and tweaking your resume, and filling out job descriptions gets old after a while. To break through the monotony of your job search, rework your to-do list with a list of small numerical goals. This will keep you on the right track and help you feel productive.

For example, you can set goals for applying for 3 new jobs and connecting with 10 new contacts in your industry on LinkedIn per week. These are reasonable goals that will help you keep your expectations realistic and stay motivated throughout your job search.

It’s also helpful to physically write down your to-do list and cross your tasks off as you complete them. Doing so is surprisingly satisfying and will help keep your spirits up during the job hunt.

Get a mentor

Do you have a mentor? If not, you definitely need to find one. Mentors offer perspective, encouragement, and helpful advice that can keep your motivation high. The best part about a mentor is that they are unbiased and are cable of seeing your strengths, even when you can’t.

Mentors can give you actionable ideas on how to enhance those strengths to help remain motivated during your job search. Keep in close contact with your mentor during the search for your dream job to keep your spirits high and help lead you toward the path of success.

Celebrate small victories

It’s too easy to focus your attention on the negatives during the search. Didn’t get an offer after a job interview? It’s easy to beat yourself up over it, thinking about what you did wrong.

Instead of focusing all of your energy on the negatives, try to look at everything with a glass half full. Landed a phone interview? Awesome! Pat yourself on the back! Even if you don’t get a job offer, you should still be proud of yourself for being asked to interview. Celebrating the small victories will give you a positive mindset and help you remain motivated to land that dream job!

Take breaks

This is crucial when you have been stuck in a job search for a while. Constantly applying for jobs, writing cover letters, tweaking your resume, and checking your inbox a thousand times is overwhelming. To remain motivated (and to not lose your sanity), it’s essential to take a step away from your computer and get out of the house.

Go volunteer for a local charity, hang out with your family and friends, or simply go to the park and take a walk. Taking breaks will help ensure you don’t fall into a motivational slump throughout the job search. Set a day out of the week or a few hours each day to do something not job-related. This will keep you from losing sight of your job search objectives, and ultimately, help you land your dream job!

Job search motivational quotes

Still struggling to keep a positive outlook during the job hunt? Check out these 30 motivational quotes to keep you moving forward.

Here is my favorite one: “Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm.” – Winston Churchill

Happy hunting!

30 Motivational Quotes to Kickstart Your Job Search

motivational quotes to kickstart your job search

Need some motivation to get you through that dreadful job search? Searching for a new career path can be overwhelming and it’s difficult to stay motivated. Here are some motivational quotes for all you job seekers that need some inspiration to keep moving forward.

“Find out what you like doing best and get someone to pay you for doing it.” – Katharine Whitehorn

“Whatever you decide to do, make sure it makes you happy.” – Paulo Coelho

“Whatever you are, be a good one.” – Abraham Lincoln

“Too many of us are not living our dreams because we are living our fears.” – Les Brown

motivational quotes to kickstart your job search

“Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm.” – Winston Churchill

“Opportunities don’t often come along. So, when they do, you have to grab them.” – Audrey Hepburn

“If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude.” – Maya Angelou

“Whenever you are asked if you can do a job, tell ’em, ‘Certainly I can!’ Then get busy and find out how to do it.” – Theodore Roosevelt

motivational quotes to kickstart your job search

“Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value.” – Albert Einstein

“Build your own dreams, or someone else will hire you to build theirs.” – Farrah Gray

“Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly.” – Robert F. Kennedy

“If you want to lift yourself up, lift up someone else.” – Booker T. Washington

“Limitations live only in our minds. But if we use our imaginations, our possibilities become limitless.” – Jamie Paolinetti

“The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Everything you’ve ever wanted is on the other side of fear.” – George Addair

“I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the water to create many ripples.” – Mother Teresa

motivational quotes to kickstart your job search

“Nothing worthwhile comes easily. Work, continuous work and hard work, is the only way to accomplish results that last.” – Hamilton Holt

“Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.” – Confucius

“Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.” – Thomas Edison

“If you can dream it, you can do it.” – Walt Disney

motivational quotes to kickstart your job search

“We are still masters of our fate. We are still captains of our souls.” – Winston Churchill

“There are so many things you can learn about. But you’ll miss the best things if you keep your eyes shut.” – Dr. Seuss

“A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new.” – Albert Einstein

“There are many things in life that will catch your eye, but only a few will catch your heart. Pursue these.” – Michael Nolan