Job Search Tips

Handling Rejection And Avoiding Depression

No Job Search Kit would be complete without addressing the dreaded yet unavoidable issue of rejection. If you don't already know it, most likely, you are going to hear the word "NO" or a variation of it a great deal. We live our lives trying to avoid rejection, so it is only normal that most people are not good at handling it. Rejection can lead to various degrees of depression in most job hunters. Unfortunately, to find the job you want, you must be prepared to accept it. Many "NO 's" will be heard if you are going to hear that one "YES" you want.

Here are some tips to help you handle the rejection.

1) Develop a long-term mentality. Hope and pray that your job search will be quick, but expect it to take a while.

2) Do not concentrate on day to day results. Keep your mind on the long term goal.

3) Having a low response rate isn't always a bad thing. Some businesses such as direct marketing specialist are very happy with a 2% response rate and are happy to fail 98% of the time.

4) Do not prejudge situations or put unnecessary pressures or expectations on your search.

5) Talk about your search. Chose someone to be your sounding board, reality check and mood-lifter.

6) Remind yourself that you are not alone. There are thousands of people experiencing exactly what you are. Thousands of job hunters, just like you, find jobs everyday across the country. Tomorrow could be your day.

7) Find ways to "treat yourself." Try continuing the activities that gave you pleasure while you were working.

8) Not having to go to work can be fun. Do all the things that you wanted to do but couldn't because you were working. This is your chance to develop new skills and interests.

9) Join a support group, such as: a community, religious or professional association. (This will also prove to be great for networking)

10) Fill your mind and your spirit with hope and inspiration. Read, watch and listen to cheerful and inspirational books, tapes and videos.

Getting Your Job Search Started

The first and most important thing to do when searching for a job is to have targets, objectives and a clear strategy. A job search can easily be compared to running a business. (If you have always wanted to be your own boss here is your chance). This means you have to develop a "being in control" mentality. You must be in control of every aspect of your job search. You will have to make the right decisions about the job targets you set, the objectives you chose, and the plans and methods you use to achieve the results you want.

In order to make the right decisions you must first do a great deal of self-analysis, taking a close look at your: Skills, personal and professional experience, education and training, job preferences and expectations, as well as your personality, values, personal and financial needs, life objectives and future goals. This process will help you understand; who you are, what your skills are and exactly what you have to offer. You will also realize all the things that you don't want.

NOTE; Too often people ignore the self-analysis exercise, and they end up unhappy and frustrated in dead end jobs or with no job at all. So please do the self-analysis and please do it right.

For Best Job Search Results You Must Be Organized And Efficient.

"You must work to find work" is all too true. To conduct a successful job search, you must efficiently organize your time, your space, and your efforts. You need to establish a cheerful but quiet base of operations. This could be in your home or elsewhere. The important thing is, wherever you chose, you should have access to the necessary equipment. Things such as: a telephone, a computer, a fax machine, an answering machine and proper stationary.

The Job Search

Finding a good job is about many things. It is about being lucky, about being efficient and organized, about being qualified, but above all, it is about being persistent and resourceful. Being resourceful means effectively using all available resources. There are many ways to go about finding a job, some methods are well known and traditional while others are non traditional and obscure.

Here is a list of the 10 most effective and successful methods.

1) The face to face canvassing method.

This method involves choosing any employer that interest you, whether from the telephone book or elsewhere, and then walking in "cold" (no previous contact) and asking to speak to the person responsible for hiring. This method has proven to be far more successful than agencies or want ads, especially for blue collar and general labour type jobs. The success rate for this method increases when approaching small organizations. (You will find out why as you read on)

2) The "friend and family method"

This Method involves asking your friends and family if they are aware of any job openings. Then following up on the job leads that they tell you about.

3) Using your school's, college or university's placement services.

This method involves contacting the placement office of your present or past academic institution. Then following up on any job leads that they have.

4) The "Prospecting or Digging or Creative" method.

This method involves researching all the organizations that interest you, after completing the self analysis exercise. Then, using a cultivated network of contacts as well as telephoning and letter writing, you proceed to arrange interviews with the person who has the power to hire you. This method gives you access to the hidden or unadvertised job market, and since less than 20% of all jobs get advertised this method is extremely effective. Due to all the preparation that goes into this method it is almost always successful when done properly. (see accessing the hidden job market for full details)

5) Mailing resumes.

This involves selecting companies (from wherever) that interest you and mailing them your resume with a cover or sales letter. This method is deceptively attractive because of its simplicity, but expect a very low response ratio.

6) Responding to advertised jobs.

This method involves responding to jobs that are advertised in newspapers, journals, and magazines. This being the most popular method does not need much explanation. This method while appealing to the "lazy" has a very poor track record. Advertised jobs are only about 20% of all the jobs that are available. An advertised job can get hundreds of responses, this usually gives you little or no chance of being interviewed or hired.

7) Using private employment or placement agencies.

Such agencies are usually for long-term or temporary work. Some agencies have all types of jobs while others specialize in specific areas. Agencies are usually paid a fee by the employer to find the right person or persons for the job. In some cases such as "Referral services" the job hunter pays whatever fees are involved. Agencies only have access to a small fraction of the total jobs available.

8) Government or Non-profit employment services.

These services usually list all types of jobs. From time to time some also offer job search workshops and other job search help. These services only have access to a small portion of all the jobs that are available.

9) Computer Resume Banks or Registries.

These are clearinghouses or on‑line services that maintain your resume in their data banks, usually for a fee. Employers can then search these data banks for employees. Some on-line services are free to employers while others carry a charge. Despite the fast pace growth of the internet, the number of employers who take the time to go on-line to search for employees is minimal.

10) Placing your own work wanted ad.

Tips To Make The Job Hunt Successful, Sooner

1) Treat your job search like a job. Allocate adequate time and effort to it. The more hours per day you put into your search the fewer weeks you will spend searching.

2) Give special attention to small companies. Generally speaking, small organizations (less than 50 employees) create a great deal more jobs for the economy than large corporations.

3) Insist on seeing a minimum number of employers every week. Consider this, if a job hunter finds a job after 1 month of search while seeing 30 employers during that month, chances are, that same job hunter may have found a job in one week had he or she seen 6 employers per day.

4) Do not put all your "eggs" in one basket. Use as many different job hunting methods as possible. Your chances of early success will increase if you use all the job search avenues that are open to you.