Get Your Head in the Job Search Game

Get Your Head in the Job Search Game Get your Head in the Job Search Game   You  are finally  ready  to  take the leap: find a new job or try to move within your existing company. Getting to this decision may have been a journey, but what do you do now? Before you do anything, you need to get your head in the game â€" the job search game!     The Challenge     We can all agree that the job search process is hard. Its frustrating. Its challenging. Sometimes we get depressed. It can be hard to wake up every morning and keep going and going. Its not just unemployed people who have these feelings; employed but searching, or even looking within your company can trigger these terrible, negative emotions.     You  realize that your  potential new  employer  has all the power. They are  the decision maker. They  are  the buyer  with  multiple applicants to choose from.  This can leave job seekers  confused  because  you  don’t know what they’re looking for.  In the job  search world, only one  applicant  gets  chosen. It might remind you of  grade school  and  waiting to be  picked  for  a  team,  hoping not  to  be the last one standing.     Job Search is Not Transparent     Does this sound familiar?  You send in your  résumé  and wait. And wait. And wait. You dont know if  the recruiter has  even received your application or  your  résumé.  You wonder if it was looked at by a robot or a person  or if it’s  lost  in a black hole.     Even if  someone  does  look  at your application, you  won’t  know why you didnt get chosen for the interview. Its all blind.  If you don’t get the job,  you  won’t  ever find out why.  Many times, you wont hear back after an interview. It just gets worse and worse.  As a job seeker, all you can do is ensure you  do the right things during  your  search.     Keep Your Head Up and  in the Game     All these  situations  can be obstacles when job searching. The  job search process is not designed to make candidates feel good.  And the fact of the matter is,  this most likely  won’t be your last job search  either.  You’ll face this every time you look for a new job or seek to move up the ladder.  Some tips for keeping your head in the game:     Remember that you are not alone. Millions of people are searching for their next job right along with you.     Don’t waste your energy. Sure, someone got that job, but you shouldn’t spend your energy worrying about who won it or why. Just accept it and move onto the next  opportunity.     Stop being a victim. You  simply are not going to hear back from all the hiring managers and human resources people, but don’t  use the time waiting as an excuse to do nothing. Stay on the offensive and keep sending out applications and  résumés.     How to Stay Positive     Your job search is a process. It takes focus and stamina.  One way to keep your head in the game is to be accountable to yourself and family or friends.  Give your job search a name. Write it down and refer to it whenever you begin to  lose your way.  Tell at least one friend or family member  the name. This will help  keep you accountable.  If someone else you know is also seeking their next professional chapter, buddy  up with them to talk regularly.     Now,  write down three to five positive phrases about the journey you are about to begin or the one youre about to restart.  They may say something like:  â€œI’m  looking forward to it.  I’m  going to give it my best effort.  I’m  not going to get frustrated. I’m going to be optimistic.”  Use them as your go-to phrases of encouragement when you need a boost to keep your head in the game.     Move to a new, quiet place to conduct your job search steps: The  library, nice building lobbies, hotel lobbies,  somewhere you can concentrate and take calls, if necessary. Notice I did not list a coffee shop as a good location.     Become a learner. A student. Learn the brandnew techniques of job search success. What you thought you knew is either out of date or was flawed back then! And you don’t know what you don’t know so you could be missing important steps or making huge errors without even knowing. Following a system will speed up your job search since you can be job-searching while learning.     Join Dana  Manciagli’s  Job Search Master Class ®  now  and get the most comprehensive  online  job search system available!