Developing the Correct Mindset
for Searching for a Job
by Adrian McMaster
Searching for a job can be a very time consuming and frustrating process, especially if you have experienced a layoff or termination recently. This process is so frustrating because of the competition for jobs with good wages and fair benefits. Searching for a job can often make you feel that your skills are not valuable or that there must be something wrong with you if you don’t get many job offers. If you develop the correct mindset for searching for a job, you’ll be able to stop taking rejection personally and motivate yourself to continue your job search until you find a position that you can enjoy.
The first part of your new mindset should be a commitment to continuing your job search even if you become frustrated or disillusioned with the whole search process. Because the market for good jobs is so competitive, you can have great credentials and still not get any offers. The key is to separate your self worth from your ability to get a job, as these two should be separated for your own peace of mind. If you can separate these two, you have a better chance of remaining positive during your job search and learning how to apply positive thinking to the job search process.
When you’re developing the correct mindset for searching for a job, you should also make a commitment to excellence. If you’re looking for a particular type of job or a particular salary level, commit yourself to finding a job with the characteristics that you’re looking for. Unless you need the money desperately, holding out for the type of job you want will be better in the long run because you will be more motivated to go to work and do your best at a job that you actually enjoy. Your commitment to excellence should also extend to all of the materials that you need for the job search process such as your résumé, job applications, and work samples. Make sure that they are professionally produced and that they are representative of the quality work you do.
Once you’ve begun the process of applying for jobs, you will hopefully get calls about setting up interviews. Once you set up an interview, you will need to continue your commitment to excellent and commit yourself to giving an excellent interview. There are many ways to prepare for an interview, so use one of these many methods to prepare you for the important meeting. You can study common interview questions, videotape yourself to find out how you can improve your interview skills, or prepare a portfolio that showcases your work. Preparing for the interview will show the interviewer that you are serious about the position and may influence their hiring decision.
If you’ve remained committed to excellence through out the whole process, you’ll need to continue to maintain your commitment even after your last interview has ended. In order to maintain a professional appearance, you’ll want to send a thank-you note to each interviewer you met with. This serves two purposes that can both benefit you. One is that you will appear professional in the eyes of the interviewer. The second is that you are getting your name in front of the interviewer for a second time. This can jog his or her memory and help them to think of favorable impressions that they got of you during your interview.
The job search process can be filled with frustration and a sense of helplessness because hiring decisions are not up to you. However, with the proper mindset, you can remain positive throughout the process end up with the job of your dreams.
Keywords: job search site, job search web site, online job search
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Copyright 2006 Adrian McMaster