How to Stay Motivated When You’re Unemployed

When you’re searching for a job, and receiving rejections daily, it can be really demoralising. So here are our tips on how you can stay motivated throughout your search:

SET A ROUTINE

Sleeping in and idly browsing job sites throughout the day is a sure fire way to end up completely demotivated. So make sure your hunt involves more than just sending out CVs. Arrange meetings with recruitment agencies, get in touch with friends or simply move your search to a different location, to reinvigorate yourself, and stop you slipping in to bad habits.

BE GOOD TO YOURSELF

When you’re out of work, it’s natural to feel like you should devote every spare second to looking for a new job, however it’s sure to leaving you feeling completely burnt out. So make a little time to do the things you enjoy, such as taking a walk or meeting up with a friend. You’ll find when you come back to your job hunt, that you have a renewed energy that can be powerful when looking for new opportunities.

MAKE A PLAN

Rather than cast the net as wide as possible, take time to make a plan of what you’re hoping to achieve. Break the plan down in to short term and long term goals that are challenging, yet still realistic. It will help you to really narrow down your job hunt, and help you when writing cover letters, as you’ll have a much better idea of why you want the job.

RECREATE YOUR CV

A little change to your CV can also be good to keep you motivated, as it makes you focus on the skills you have and what you’ve achieved throughout your career. There are so many ideas and templates online for you to play around with, just make sure you pick one that feels right for you and for the industry you’re applying to.

BECOME A VOLUNTEER

Volunteering is a great way to stay motivated during a job hunt. It gives you a reason to get up each day, and it’ll give you a good feeling to know that you are helping others. Not only that, but it can be a great addition to your CV, showing what a self-starter you are!

BUILD AN ONLINE PROFILE

When you’re back in work, you’ll find you never have the time, however building a professional online profile can be really powerful when it comes to looking for work. So join forums and groups on LinkedIn relevant to your industry. Consider writing articles or sharing interesting content, to demonstrate your knowledge and experience.

SPEAK TO YOUR NETWORK

Friends and family will keep you motivated throughout this time, with that dreaded question “how’s the job hunt going?”. However turn to them for support, and think of different ways in which you can use their skills to benefit your search. For example if someone in the family is a great writer, ask them to look over your CV to make sure there’s nothing you’re missing. Also get in touch with old colleagues, and let them know that you’re looking for new opportunities. It’s amazing how many people find roles in unexpected places.

Good luck! I’m sure that dream job is just around the corner!

Peter Forshaw, Managing Director, Maxwell Stephens