Renew Your Job Search Energy

If you are currently conducting a job search, it is important that you take a little time to renew your energy so you can continue the search with a new enthusiasm. Hopefully, you did at least some renewing during the holidays, but I know that can be difficult to do. If you did not, then I suggest you revisit your job search goals to remind yourself of what you are looking for and why. Spend a little time day dreaming about your new situation and what your life will be like when you achieve it. Put some details into your daydream to help give it full color. Sit back and enjoy how good you will feel when you have landed in your new work situation.

Once you have that picture clear in your mind write down things that need to happen for that to become a reality. It might require you to stop procrastinating and update your resume or write out a draft for your cover letter. Maybe you need to pick up the phone and call some of the people on your contact list that you didn't want to bother during the holidays. Maybe you do some research to locate companies/organizations where you could find your dream work scenario. List all the things you can think of that you need to do. That may include reminding some contacts of phone numbers or connections they were going to provide for you. When you have written everything you can think of, put it aside and take a 20-30 minute break.

Taking a walk is a good way to clear your mind or sort through your thoughts. Others find a short drive does the same for them. Maybe spending a little time to catch up with someone else is the break you need. After your short break, revisit your list. Add any other activities that should be included and put in some estimates of how much time each task might take and which ones need to be done early in the search and which ones should be tackled later on. Set that aside for today.

Tomorrow, as soon as you have the opportunity or could make the time, revisit your list. Again, add any tasks that you omitted and write all of your activities/tasks in on a calendar or make a timeline chart. Don't be overly generous with the amount of time you assign each part of this project, but also, don't be unrealistic. If you can only work at this in bits and pieces, allow for that in your schedule. The idea is that you will then have a detailed project plan with time lines and you can build in some checkpoints to check your progress on the completion of major pieces. Then as you begin to complete each of your tasks, you can see how it fits into your big picture. That should help to keep you going through what might be a long and arduous search.



Mary Ann Davis is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in private practice providing coaching and counseling for life's transitions; including a career change or job search, as well as loss of job, retirement planning, non-retirement planning, coping with an empty nest, and other life planning issues. She is certified as a Master Career Counselor (MCC) by the National Career Counseling Association, a Life/Work Counselor by the National Employment Counseling Association, and is a Distance Credentialed Counselor (DCC). Please visit her web site at www.YourCareerPlan.com for more information about her services.

To contact Mary Ann, please call (513) 665-4444 x3 and leave a personal and confidential message or send an email to YourCareerPlan@cinci.rr.com.