6 ways to fall back in love with your job search

Jobseeker, Jobseekers / 14 February 2022

Whether you’re employed and looking for a career change, reacting to redundancy, or fresh out of education, searching for a job can quickly turn into a miserable slog. It may be the rejection that gets you down or the time it takes to locate suitable vacancies and apply. It could be the apparent lack of jobs available to you or the feeling that you’re just one faceless wave in a sea of equally faceless candidates.As an ongoing jobseeker, you may feel demoralised, demotivated, and worst of all, that you’re just not up to the job – or any job. It doesn’t have to be that way though. If hunting for a new job has turned into a grind, try one, a couple, or all of these 6 ways to fall back in love with your job search.

6 ways to fall back in love with your job search

 

Remember the why


Why did you start this job search? What was that initial drive? It might be because:

  • you felt that you had progressed as far as you could with your current employer
  • you’re a school, college, or university leaver on the hunt for an entry level position
  • you’re unemployed, perhaps due to redundancy
  • you’re returning to the world of work after time away to raise a family, care for a relative, or after a period of illness
  • you’ve relocated to a new city

Focus on that ‘why’ as you continue your job search. Reinforce that focus by writing a list of all the good things that a new job will bring, such as a better salary or more suitable working hours. Keep that list close to hand so you can remind yourself whenever your confidence needs a boost.

 

Reconsider your search parameters


Is your job search too blinkered? For instance:

  • Are you searching for one specific job title only? Job titles may vary between companies. Where you’re unsure whether a differently titled job is what you’re looking for, get your hands on the job description to find out for sure.
  • Is there room for flexibility around hours, salary, or seniority? The advert or job description may indicate that a vacancy is unsuitable on those grounds, but why not ask the question. The employer may be willing to offer a higher salary, for example, for the right candidate.
  • Have you limited your job search to industries you are familiar with? Many roles and functions, such as manager, personal assistant, or HR, have their place in most industries and sectors.

 

Revisit your CV


Employers and recruiters will spend less than 10 seconds on average reading your CV. That’s 10 seconds to find out whether you have what they want. Your CV, therefore, has to work hard for you.

Does your CV need a refresh? You might have more work experience and training to add to it. You may have received feedback from employers on why your CV didn’t catch their eye. You may want to place the focus on a different skillset.

One important question to face: are you altering your CV to fit each job you apply for? This one move is a must.

Online CV offers plenty of advice on writing a CV, including a library of CV templates.

 

Re-evaluate your skills


You may be limiting yourself to particular jobs, companies, or industries because you think that you don’t have the work experience to apply. Experience is important, but your skills and drive may well be enough to land a job that you don’t have experience in. Transferable skills can bridge the gap between different industries too.

Typical skills that employers look for include:

  • communication
  • negotiation
  • teamwork
  • leadership
  • problem-solving
  • sales
  • marketing
  • IT

 

Make a career plan


A career plan keeps track of what you have achieved, where you want your career to lead, and what you can do to make that happen. It puts you in control and makes it easy to check your progress. It can be especially useful when used alongside SMART goals.

  What you have achieved

This will include your current employment status, qualifications, work experience, and skills, but also non-work factors such as responsibilities and personal preferences.

 

  Where you want to go

What are your career goals, both short-term and longer? Do you want to increase your salary? Do you want to make sure that you have sufficient savings and pension to retire? Do you want a more senior role? Do you want to change career entirely? Are you looking for your first job?

 

  Steps you can take to reach your career goals

These might include updating your CV, building your LinkedIn network, or applying for X number of jobs over the next month. Each step, however, must have a deadline so that your success and progress can be measured.

 

Don’t forget the rest of your life


Finally, don’t allow your job search to become so all-consuming that you forget to enjoy the non-work elements of your life. Sometimes, the best thing you can do for your job search is to step away. Take a break for a while, even if that’s only for the weekend. Then return to your job search, reinvigorated, realistic, and ready for the next step.

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