Many candidates say that searching for a job is much harder than the work itself.
Always upbeat, you put in hours each week scouring job postings, applying for positions that seem like they could be a match, checking your phone to see who wants to reach out for an interview, and then going to those interviews. You even follow up with a personal thank you note.
And then there’s nothing. No callbacks. No offers.
It becomes hard to stay positive when your job search stalls.
5 Ways to Stay Positive When Your Job Search Stalls
Negativity won’t restart your job search and re-ignite the architecture and design passion within you. The longer you give in to negativity, the more pervasive it will become. Instead, fight back. Here’s how:
- Find a support system. No person is an island. We all do better when we work together. Now is the time to develop a support system and rely on it. Talk to a mentor who can coach you, vent with a friend or get advice from a professional architecture and design recruiter. Their insights may be invaluable.
- Build a network (and make it visual). Continue your involvement with the professional organizations you belong to, and extend your influence. Try joining a speaking and leadership organization like Toastmasters or write and post industry-related articles on LinkedIn.
- Take a training class. If you have extra time in your schedule because the job market has slowed, this is an excellent time to enroll in a course or learn a new hobby. Maybe you’ve always wanted to study entrepreneurship or learn how to do stained glass. Your brain creates happy chemicals like dopamine when you learn something new, putting you in a positive state of mind.
- Treat the stall as a learning experience by being curious. The lapse in job search activity allows you to understand market trends and needs better. Explore new job titles, search with different keywords, and pinpoint geographically hot markets.
- Enjoy the time you have right now. It’s okay to take some time for yourself to do some of the things that help you relax and have fun. Job searches exhaust even the most energetic candidates. Go out for lunch with friends, spend the afternoon at the pool or try out a new BBQ recipe. Once you land your new job, you might not have leisure time immediately.
Re-energizing your commitment to your profession by finding ways to stay positive when your job search stalls is something you can discuss in your next interview. By showing how you used your time for self-improvement, you reveal your willingness to invest in the best employee a firm can hire: you.
Are you a professional looking for a new opportunity?
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