3 ways to keep your glass half full - Sterling Career Concepts

3 ways to keep your glass half full 3 ways to keep your glass half full As a member of the Career Collectivecommunity of resume writers and career coaches, this post is one of many today offeringadvice tojob seekersdiscouraged byan unsuccessful job search and/or to help job seekers overcome the negative aspects of job search. I encourage you to visitother members responses linked at the end of my post andfollow our hashtag on Twitter: #careercollective.Lets face it. The day in and day out of job searching isnt always fun. Add to the mixthe present employment market with a fewer number of opportunities and a greater number of qualified candidates, and the resulting reality is rough for many today. Iinteract withclients daily. Some email or call to tell me of interviews or job offers, while otherstalk of their frustration.Days turns into weeks, weeks turn into months, and you hit a point when it may seem things willnever turn around. You are not alone. What suggestions do I offer clients? First, never forget your attitude iskeyto the health and success of your search.With that in mind, here are three ways to keep believingyour glass is half full: Recharge, regroup, reenergize. As with any intense schedule, you need breaks and downtime to maintain optimum efficiency. Ideally, allocatetime for exercise into your schedule daily a walk around the block, some time on the tread mill. The time spent away from your job search will refreshyour body, mind, and spirit. Find a job search buddy. You should not have to go through this alone. Find someone to listen. Everyones preference is different. You may want to bounce ideas off of someone; you may want someone to listen to you vent; or you may be looking for someone to give you a push. Whos the right person to do this?That canalsodifferent for many people. It may be confiding in a loved one a spouse orparent. It may be joining a local orvirtualjob search group to find someone with shared experiences. It may be a good friend who knows you well, or it may be enlisting the help of a job search coach ortherapist. The right answer is different for everyone, but be sure you have someone who will listen to you. You need a sounding board to verbalize your frustrations and concerns. Keeping that type of emotionbottled up is nothealthy long-term. Its all aboutnumbers. Remember your successes and put them into perspective. Job searching is a numbers game. Your luck may turn around at any moment with the next phone call, email, or interview. When a job search gets us down, its easy to start feeling overwhelmed and begin thinking things will never go our way. One of the best ways to get out of this rut is to break your search down into smaller, more manageable pieces and get back to basics. Earlier this week, Tim Tyrell-Smith blogged abouta great strategy to start your week offon the right foot.He walks through a process of writing down all the possible items (as specific as possible) you could be doing in your job search this week and thenselecting those items that you will actually do this week as a combinationof big and small items. Its all about taking baby steps, feeling like youre making progress, and appreciating your successes, large and small. Give Tims strategy a try next week and see for yourself. As a bonus 4th point, Ill leave you with the following mantra thats very popular in my house:Bad dreams, bad dreams, go away. Good dreams, good dreams, come this way. Around here, its usedto settle in atbedtime, but as I was saying it last night, I realized it applies equally well torebalancing your attitudefor a productive job search. Read moreadvice on overcoming the negative aspects of job searchfrom my esteemed colleagues in the Career Collective: @MartinBuckland, Job Search Made Positive @GayleHoward, Job Search: When It All Turns Sour@chandlee, Strategy for Getting Unstuck and Feeling Better: Watch Lemonade@heathermundell, Help for the Job Search Blues @heatherhuhman, 10 Ways to Turn You Job Search Frown Upside-Down @KCCareerCoach, You Can Beat the Job Search Blues: 5 + 3 Tips to Get Re-Energized@WalterAkana, Light at the End of the Tunnel?@resumeservice,Don’t Sweat the Job Search @careersherpa, Mind Over Matter: Moving Your Stalled Search Forward@WorkWithIllness, Finding Opportunity in Quicksand@KatCareerGal, Job-Hunting in a Weak Job Market: 5 Strategies for Staying Upbeat (and Improving Your Chances of Success) @ErinKennedyCPRW, Dancing in the Rain-Kicking the Job Search Blues @keppie_careers, What do do when you are discouraged with your job search @DawnBugni, Its the little things@ValueIntoWords, Restoring Your Joy in Job Search@JobHuntOrg, Just SO VERY Discouraged @BarbaraSafani, Making Job Search Fun (Yeah, That’s Right!) @GLHoffman, How to Overcome the Negativity of a Job Search @expatcoachmegan, Dealing with Job Search Stress: Getting to the Source of the Problem