How to stay motivated during your job search

Job hunting can be difficult. It’s time consuming, tiring and when unsuccessful, a source of frustration. And while you need to keep your productivity up, you also need to stay motivated. Use these tips to keep going until you reach your career goal.

Seek constructive criticism

You’re never going to get everything right, but it’s even more difficult if you take it all on yourself. Show your CV, applications and covering letters to those supporting you in your job search. Be it friends, family, a mentor or your recruiter, seek their thoughts and advice on your approaches. They may spot simple mistakes such as spelling errors or inconsistencies, and may have tips on how you can do better next time. If they do raise critiques, take them on board positively; they could be the key to a successful application in the future.

Put your career goals on paper

Putting down in writing what you hope to achieve in your career can be a very effective way of keeping yourself motivated to meet your targets. It can give you a clear idea of what you want and how you can get there. Set a timeline of when you hope to reach your targets and consider how you can move between each of the roles. It may also help you spot any gaps in your planned path allowing you to fill them in ahead of time.

Reward yourself

All work and no play is not a great strategy. Be sure you give yourself treats and rewards for your efforts. They don’t need to be expensive or extravagant; if you’ve been poring over job applications and vacancy listings for hours on your computer, a simple walk around the block can be a good way to refresh your mind and carry on if you need. Continuing to pursue applications has the potential to have a negative impact. You can easily miss mistakes in your covering letter or application email. This may put off prospective employers and you won’t be doing yourself any favours applying for a dream job with a fuzzy brain.

Do you have a favourite show on Netflix? Try limiting yourself to watching an episode only after you have met your application target for the day. Or simply give yourself a night to look forward to with friends at the end of the week. Little treats can go a long way when you need to motivate yourself.

Play the numbers

Try and also set yourself some immediate goals that will help you get into your next role. You could target a number of applications to send off each week, or give yourself a set amount of time to spend on job hunting each day. By putting objectives in place, you can ensure you are doing all you can to secure a new position without it taking over your life. And of course, goals are there to be beaten. If you find yourself on a roll some days, keep going until you want to stop. Check out these great tips to see how you could save time in reaching your goal.

Remind yourself of ‘why’

Don’t forget what you’re looking for and the reasons why. In our busy world full of distractions and diversions, it’s easy to get swayed off course. By reminding yourself of your personal drivers, you’ll instantly feel more motivated to reach your goals.

If you’d like to speak to one of our trainers about your job hunting techniques, get in touch today.

Author David Morel Tiger Recruitment Team