Staying positive and motivated while job searching in the post-covid world

Trying to stay positive and motivated during a job search in these times requires energy, wellbeing and it is not always easy.

Keeping a positive attitude plays an important role as it helps motivate you to continue and not feel discouraged. A positive attitude will keep you going!

Tips for staying positive and motivated:

1.     Create a daily schedule: Set up your planner to spend time job searching. This is a full time job! Maintaining a routine will keep you focused and motivated. Stick to your schedule and don’t spend endless hours on job boards.

2.     Target relevant jobs: Focus on applying to specific jobs, relevant to your experience, your skills. Check the required skills, decode the job descriptions and see how you match.

3.     Set weekly SMART goals: Set specific, realistic goals such as create cover letters to match the relevant job applications, revamp your LinkedIn profile, set daily targets of applications. By setting and achieving your weekly goals, you will feel acknowledged for accomplishing, you will stay focused and motivated and maintain your positivity.

4.     Identify your Personal Brand: identify your strengths, qualities, your personal values, your purpose. Create a storytelling of your achievements. Your brand will be reflected on your CV, cover letter, your LinkedIn profile, your presence during an interview.

5.     Increase your level of Confidence: by identifying your brand, your strengths, you will feel confident to present yourself, to speak about your achievements. You will be better prepared to handle the tough or uncomfortable questions during an interview and become more "immune" to rejection or to "radio silence" by recruiters.

6.     Prepare for your interviews: with the help of a career coach you can do MOCK interviews as role plays, prepare for tough questions, check your body posture (even in a virtual interview) and identify any areas that need to be improved.

7.     Reflect on past interviews: what went well, what needs to be improved, what was easy, what was hard.

8.     Networking: either online (social media) or in-person. Let people know you are actively looking. Tell your friends, your extended network. Reach out to past colleagues, acquaintances, neighbors, people in your gym, your local community. Join job networking sites, volunteer. Everyone you meet could be a potential new opportunity.

9.     Reflect on your job search: focus on what went well. Don’t become fixated on waiting for feedback or a reply from an employer. Move on! Set new goals!

10.     Be open to and consider new ways of working: part-time, working from home, remote jobs, assignments on a project-basis.

11.     Upgrade your skills: through LinkedIn Learning or other platforms such as Udemy, Coursera. 

12.     Relax and take time off from job searching! You need time to decompress, to recharge. Move your focus away from job searching and towards other activities that help you relax (hobbies, exercise, meditation, music).

"The secret of getting ahead is getting started." Mark Twain