How to Stay Motivated When Job Hunting

If you’ve ever searched for a new job before, you know how demoralising it can be. Not only are you likely to get at least a few rejections, some companies won’t bother to get back to you at all. There’s also the fact that job hunting is incredibly time consuming! So how do you stay motivated throughout this frustrating process? We’ve explored four great ways to help you stay on track below!

1. Ask for Help

While your friends and family might not be able to find a job for you, that doesn’t mean that they can’t help you in your job search. Why not show your CV and covering letter to a few people, to see if they can offer any constructive feedback. Whether it’s spotting a typo or reformatting your CV, these small things can make a huge difference when it comes to job applications.

Contacting a recruitment agency like Pineapple Recruitment can also be a great way to ensure that your covering letter and CV are up to scratch. We can help you tailor these things to the job you’re applying for, as well as offer advice on the interview process.

2. Consider Your Goals

It’s hard to stay motivated if you don’t have a clear idea of what you want. That’s why it’s important to think about your career goals. Ask yourself the cliche interview question of where you see yourself in ten years, and then consider how you plan on getting there. Do you need additional training, a formal qualification, or simply a new role that’s one step higher up the career ladder?

Writing your goals down can also be incredibly helpful. This gives you something to refer back to, and is a great way to spot any gaps in your progress plan. You can then make sure you fill in these gaps, and get yourself back on track.

It’s also a good idea to set yourself daily goals. Either give yourself an allotted amount of time to job hunt and submit applications each day, or make sure you apply for a certain amount of jobs on a daily basis. Putting such goals in place will ensure that you keep on target, and will give a figure to try and beat! If you’re on a roll, keep going until you reach a natural stopping point.

3. Reward Yourself

One of the worst things about job hunting is that until you get offered the role you want, it’s essentially a thankless task. So it’s essential that you reward yourself for your efforts, even if it doesn’t feel like you’ve made a lot of progress. Whether it’s a small treat like watching an episode of your favourite show after submitting a certain number of applications, or something a bit more extravagant, these sorts of rewards can help keep you motivated.

And just remember that slogging away at endless applications is a surefire way to burn yourself out. You’re likely to feel drained, and could make silly mistakes when submitting an application. It’s sensible to take a break when you need to and clear your mind.

4. Stay on Target

You may have considered your goals, but you also need to think about why you’re looking to achieve them. What’s the reason you’re looking for a new job? Are you unhappy in your current role, or do you simply want change or progression? Common reasons for finding a new job include:

• You want better long term prospects – perhaps there is little room for progression within your current company
• You’re not happy with your current job, for any number of reasons. For instance, you may not get on with your manager, or you may not agree with the business from an ethical standpoint
• You’re looking for something with a shorter commute
• You’ve had a change in your personal situation, and need to reevaluate your priorities
• You’re looking for a new opportunity, whether it’s in the same field or a new one
• You’d like to work for a smaller or larger organisation – culture fit can be just as important as the job role itself

By reminding yourself of the main factors driving you to find a new role, you can ensure that you keep your motivation levels up!