Maintaining a positive mindset when job hunting Job Hunting can be a gruelling process. It is important as a job-seeker to realise that rejection is a natural part of the process. When you have been job hunting for some time with no success, it is natural to question why. One of the most common reasons…
Maintaining a positive mindset when job hunting
Job Hunting can be a gruelling process. It is important as a job-seeker to realise that rejection is a natural part of the process. When you have been job hunting for some time with no success, it is natural to question why. One of the most common reasons is, of course, that for many jobs, you may be up against significant competition. Thinking of it objectively, there are often dozens, sometimes hundreds of applicants who you are competing with; many of whom may be more qualified or more experienced than you. In such cases, it is a significant achievement to be selected on a short list for an interview, let alone be offered the job.
It is vital to develop a mindset that acknowledges and accepts that job hunting is a numbers game, which requires perseverance. You need to develop a strategy and coping mechanism to maintain your emotional resilience so that you bounce back from rejection and maintain a positive attitude.
View the job-hunting process as a learning exercise
Each time you apply for a job is a chance for self-assessment and evaluation of what areas of the process you can improve upon. A well written job advertisement and/or Position Description will identify the requirements for the role, allowing you to identify what the hiring manager’s selection criteria will be. If you are consistently applying for jobs where you are not meeting the selection criteria required, you may be needlessly subjecting yourself to rejection, which will erode your confidence. List down the selection criteria that you identify in the job advertisement or Position Description and demonstrate in your application which ones you satisfy and why. A cover letter which addresses each of the selection criteria is an effective means of communicating your suitability for a job. If you are satisfying less than say, 60 percent of the selection criteria required, you may need to question whether it is worth your while applying.
Interview technique
Each time you are granted an interview, you should self-evaluate after the event. Ask yourself what went well and what you could have done better. Interviewing is similar to learning a musical instrument. The more practice you do, the better you get at it. Practice will result in you predicting what interview questions you will get and then you can practice your answers prior to attending an interview.
Be mindful of your online profile
Social media sites such as LinkedIn and Facebook are useful reference sites for hiring managers to broaden their knowledge of prospective candidates. An active jobseeker should ensure that they have an online profile, which is a positive representation of who they are.
Maintaining motivation
Having support at hand whilst job hunting is a good means of maintaining your emotional resilience. Such support may be in the form of a family member, a mentor or a friend to share the roller coaster ride with. Taking a break from job seeking is also a good strategy. You will be far more effective in interviews if you are fresh, alert and maintain a positive disposition.
Above all, remain confident that continual learning from the job hunting process together with persistence and the maintenance of a positive mindset are essential ingredients in achieving your career goals.
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