If you’ve been conducting a job search for a while now, chances are you need some job search tips to recharge your energy.
Let’s face it: a job search can be a very thankless and grueling activity. It takes a lot of work to maintain your job hunt: updating and editing your resume and cover letter for each job posting, researching opportunities, preparing for interviews, following up on career opportunities, and coping with rejection. Too often, searching for a job can feel like nothing more than dead-end career opportunities and disappointments.
Take a Break
It’s time to take a break to regroup. Unplug from the career search rat race for a bit and do something that you choose—something that can renew your batteries and refresh your interest in work and life.
Unlike the bobble-headed figures that nod “yes” at every touch, you do get to declare “time out” and place yourself first. Not only is it paramount for your sanity, but your job search will be better for it. Once you return to your job search efforts, you will do so with more focus, clarity, and energy.
Idea #1
Experience something that isn’t in alignment with your occupation. Take a class or read a book that is NOT in your chosen field or related to your career. Select something that piques your curiosity. The notion is to look for connections or ideas that might stimulate a new way of looking at your work or life. For instance, a former elementary teacher studied ventriloquism and discovered a new way to train adults!
Idea #2
Stretch yourself. If you take an exercise class once a month, try going two more times a month.
If you cook the same food the same way, alternate with a new cookbook or a few fresh ingredients. One father saw himself as totally ill-equipped to ride anything that had less than four wheels. But he took motorcycle lessons with his teenage son, and his sense of personal accomplishment grew along with the bond to his son.
Idea #3
Practice your art or use your creative side every week. Everyone has a form of release from the “real world” that helps to reduce stress. It might be hammering nails, singing in the shower, painting a picture (even if it isn’t great), or taking a dance class. It might be designing a garden or helping a friend in need. The significant thing about this activity is that it uses a gift you have, and when this talent is engaged, you burn brightly. You leave the time refreshed, so mark it down as a personal “no matter what” on your day timer.
Think of this as an opportunity to take control over what energizes your batteries and renews your brain and energy field to re-engage with your job search with a fresh perspective.