How Do You Stay Motivated During a Lengthy Job Search? | JobSearchTV.com

How Do You Stay Motivated During a Lengthy Job Search? | JobSearchTV.com

By Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter
Although the question was asked by someone who is hampered by an F-1 visa, the answer I offer is true of anyone.

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The question for today is, “How do you stay motivated during a lengthy job?”  Now, the question was asked by an international student who recently graduated, so they have visa issues involved that is causing it to be a lengthy job search.  After all, firms are not excited to hire people who have an F-1 visa who can return home to their nation of origin at the end of the visa process.  There is an expense involved with the visa process but I think the question is valid for anyone.  F-1 visa holders have unique challenges for them.

How do you keep motivated during a lengthy jobs?  Motivation is an external impetus; inspired inspired is internal.  I don’t think it’s possible to stay motivated during a lengthy job.  This person spoke about being out of work for 2 months, not getting many interviews and struggling along the way.  I know for some of you older workers, you are thinking, “2 months!  That’s nothing!  I was looking for.  9, 12, 18 months during the last recession!”  Some people find 2 months a long time. However you define the word, “lengthy,” it is very hard to stay motivated for a lengthy job search.

Whatever you do, it is important to vary your activities so that you’re not just simply looking for jobs online to apply to today.  Your basic effort has to focus in on networking and building your network.  I was talking with someone last night, a US executive who is living overseas and would trying to return to the US.  He is been overseas for several years and now it is time to return home.

As you speaking with someone at a search firm, they told him very succinctly, “You are going to have to do things differently than you have in your previous job searches.  Contacting us isn’t going to be helpful.”  The same is going to be true for many of you people.  What you have done in the past isn’t going to be the road to success. 

What is going to be the road is engaging with people.  You can’t willpower your way through this.  You can’t through force of effort or force of personality or “motivation” get the job done.  What you’re going to need to do is ask for help repeatedly.

Yes, I can do my commercial about coaching and, in particular, JobSearchCoachingHQ.com but the real thing is about reaching out and building your network as well as putting yourself in different positions than you have before where you can stretch, enjoy, and have fun, play, talk to a lot of different people, ask for advice and ask for help.

A lot of the help and advice you receive will turn out to be a big nothing.  Then, you have those great conversations that set the fire for you again.  These conversations really get you inspired to do more.

That’s really the way to do this – – you keep talking to people.  You create a calendar for yourself.  It keeps you occupied.  You work out.  You get fit.  You don’t allow yourself to eat stupid foods that get you fat, look bad in the suit and make you feel sluggish.  You always set yourself up to have the fire and the flame within you.  For those of you who can afford it, work with a trainer.  A trainer will work the heck out of you and, if they are not, get another trainer that will because you will walk out of there feeling invigorated and excited and powerful, and wanted to talk to more people.

Again, put yourself in different situations all the time.  Don’t know how to do it?  Go to meetups.  Go to business groups.  Join your local Chamber of Commerce.  Get involved with different groups and organizations.  Volunteer.  A lot of things will come to you as a result of indirect associations that come about from meeting people at these groups.

I always put the statistic.  70% of all jobs are filled as a result of networking.  And almost half of them (49%) are filled.  As a result of introductions to people.  You did not know at the beginning of your job search.  You’ve got to get to more people.  You have to ask your existing network if they know someone that they can introduce you to.

For a student, you go to LinkedIn and look at the alumni area for people who have graduated from your degree program previously who might be willing to help.

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NOTE: THIS IS A CHANGE FROM WHEN I RECORDED–Go to the alumni page for your school.  Talk to people who went to your school about how they found work.  They are trailblazers on your path.  Maybe they will provide you with an introduction if they like you.

Look for ways of connecting with people AND STAYING IN TOUCH!  Staying in touch with your network, not just now when you need them, but when they need you.  Always talk.  Always relate.  Always connect.

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ABOUT JEFF ALTMAN, THE BIG GAME HUNTER

Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter is a coach who worked as a recruiter for what seems like one hundred years. His work involves career coaching, as well as executive job search coaching, job coaching, and interview coaching. He is the host of “No BS Job Search Advice Radio,” the #1 podcast in iTunes for job search with over 2300 episodes.

Are you interested in 1:1 coaching, interview coaching, advice about networking more effectively, how to negotiate your offer or leadership coaching? Schedule a discovery call at my website, www.TheBigGameHunter.us

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