How's your job search motivation these days? While job seekers experience setbacks, disappointments, or perceived failures, their motivational compass needs to be recharged. With the countless negatives a (long) job search entails, how do can job seekers stay motivated? Consider these tips from A to Z and how they apply to job seekers: A - Achieve your dreams. Avoid negative people, things and places. Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “the future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” B - Believe in your self, and in what you can do. When was the last time that you reviewed your successes, accomplishments, skills and qualifications? C – Consider things on every angle and aspect. Motivation comes from determination. To be able to understand life, you should feel the sun from both sides. If your job search is not yielding results, change the approach and take risks. D – Don’t give up and don’t give in. Thomas Edison failed once, twice, more than thrice before he came up with his invention and perfected the incandescent light bulb. Make motivation your steering wheel. E – Enjoy. Learn as if you’ll live forever. Motivation takes place when people have intrinsic goals (inward). F – Family and Friends are life’s greatest treasures. Don’t lose sight of them. They can be your best supports in a long job search. G – Give more than what is enough. Where does motivation and self- improvement take place, at work? At home? At school? It happens when you exert extra effort in doing things. H – Hang on to your dreams. The "little" stars in your dreams may be your driving force. I – Ignore those who try to destroy you. Don’t let other people to get the best of you. Resist the comopany of toxic people – the kind of friends who dislike hearing about your successes. True friends will applaud your efforts and act as your bellweather of support. J – Just be yourself. The key to success is to be yourself. And the key to failure is to try to please everyone. For example, if you are unable to land two interviews in a week, reconfigure goals that are realistic. K – Keep trying no matter how hard life may seem. Realize that unemployment is temporary. Eventually, it will be in your control, and that's why you need to gauge your intrinsic motivational levels. L – Learn to love your self. Now isn’t that easy? Quite often, layoffs, for example, are not a reflection of you, but the dour economy. M – Make things happen. Motivation is when "your dreams are put into work clothes." (Sorry, I cannot claim this phrase. I do not know its original author). N – Network strategically. Most jobs are not are never advertised (up to 85%). The larger your network, the more motivated you will be to keep your job search fresh and active. O – Open your eyes. People should learn the horse attitude and horse sense. They see things in two ways: how they want things to be, and how they should be. Reflect on things that have gone well so far. P – Practice makes perfect. Practice is about motivation. It lets us learn repertoire and ways to recover from our mistakes. Q – Quitters never win. And winners never quit. So, choose your fate – are you going to be a quitter? Or a winner? R – Ready yourself. Motivation is also about preparation. Goal achievers know this fact intimately. S – Stop procrastinating. Set goals. Only three percent of adults write down their goals. Use job search management resources such as JibberJobber.com T – Take control of your life. Discipline or self-control is symbiotic with motivation. Both are key factors in self- improvement. Develop a 360 degree job search marketing plan, which includes social networks. U – Understand others. If you know very well how to talk, you should also learn how to listen. Yearn to understand first, and to be understood second. V – Visualize it. Athletes are well known for visualizing success. You can do the same to boost your motivation levels. W – Want it more than anything. Dreaming means believing. X – X Factor is what will make you different from the others. When you are motivated, you tend to put on “extras” on your life like extra time for family, extra help at work, extra care for friends, and so on. Y – You are unique. No one in this world looks, acts, or talks like you. Value your life and existence, because you’re just going to spend it once. See your USP (unique selling points) to potential employers, recruiters, hiring managers and contacts. Z – Zero in on your dreams and go for it!!!Photo Credit: Shutterstock
Everyone has heard of New Year's resolutions. You know, those promises we make to ourselves about things we'll do better in the year ahead. Sometimes these resolutions work, while other times we end up with gym memberships we never use! But have you ever heard of a career resolution? It's actually the same thing as a New Year's resolution, only career-focused.
However, with something as important as a career, you don't want to break these resolutions. That's why it's important to keep these goals manageable.
Here are four simple career resolutions that are easy to stick to and achieve.
Be Self-Aware Of Where You Stand In Your Career
BigstockBeing honest and self-aware of where you are in your career is the most important step in making strong career resolutions. If your career is going nowhere and you're unhappy, then it may be time to consider a career change, which will take you down a different path entirely.
But if you're happy and in good standing with your career, it's a lot easier to set goals for the year and build out a long-term career plan.
Find A Way To Grow Your Career
BigstockCareer growth is a very broad spectrum that means something different to everyone. It could be something as simple as improving on a weakness or building on a strength. It could also be learning a new skill or taking on additional responsibilities at work.
On a larger level, it could be seeking a promotion or moving into a leadership role.
Whatever the goal is, make sure it includes growing professionally. The worst thing you can do is stay the same! If you're not growing your career, you're dying—and becoming a lot less valuable to your employer. There are always ways to upskill!
Better Serve Your Professional Network
With current colleagues, former colleagues, and other professional acquaintances, you've probably built a solid professional network through the years. A strong professional network can come in handy if you lose your job or are looking to make a career change. However, you shouldn't just rely on your network when you're in need!
It's important to find ways to offer value to your network. This could include checking in with members of your network from time to time. Exchange messages on LinkedIn to see how they're doing or share relevant content of interest. If you can help someone in your network going through a career challenge, you should!
Maintaining a strong professional network is like an investment. If you want it to pay off, you have to put some time into it and be consistent.
Take Care Of Yourself
Bigstock
Working on your career is hard work! It's okay to be selfish sometimes. Whether you're working to grow your career or looking for a new job, it's important to find balance.
Your family and health always come first, so make sure your career goals don't interfere with that. If you want to set aside time during the week to work on your career that's fine, but don't miss important family events or milestones.
Don't let your career goals get in the way of your health goals. Go to the gym, take a walk, or go for a jog. Balance is key to maintaining healthy career and life goals. Sometimes you just need to adjust that balance as you go.
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This article was originally published at an earlier date.