Finding a job can be incredibly difficult, especially if you’ve been searching for quite some time and haven’t had any luck yet. If you’re discouraged about your job search and need some help getting motivated, these five tips can help give you the extra boost you need to continue your search and get excited about finding your ideal career path.

1) Set Mini Goals

One way to stay motivated when job hunting is to set small goals for yourself. For example, you could resolve to check three job boards every day, or send out five resumes per week. Once you accomplish your mini goal, give yourself a pat on the back and move on to the next one. You’ll feel much better about your situation if you keep setting small goals for yourself! 

Create a schedule too. Maybe each week or every other week, sit down and set more goals. Spend time evaluating where you are, where you want to be, and what you need to do to get there! And remember, these goals should be small and easy to achieve so you know you are making progress towards your overall goal of finding a job.

Having realistic, achievable steps to reach your long-term goal can help you make progress and take action. For example, if you are looking for a job in the real estate industry, setting a mini goal of getting your real estate license can help significantly as it shows potential employers that you have taken initiative and are knowledgeable about the field. It’s also important to constantly reevaluate your mini goals to make sure they still align with your overall career objectives so you don’t get lost in pursuing something unrelated to what you really want.

2) Stay Organized

When you’re job hunting, it’s important to stay organized and keep track of your applications, contacts, and follow-ups. This will help you stay on top of the process and avoid getting overwhelmed. The more prepared you are, the better!

Keep track of jobs you’ve applied for, where you are in that process, and keep any feedback you receive in a place where you can revisit it as you continue your job search — especially if you receive feedback after an interview. Tools such as Asana are great for this.

3) Surround Yourself With Positive People

One of the best things you can do when you’re feeling down about your job search is to surround yourself with positive people. These are the people who will listen to your venting, offer words of encouragement, and help you stay motivated. So reach out to your friends and family, and let them know what’s going on. You’d be surprised how helpful they can be!

4) Remind Yourself Why You Want the Job

It can be easy to forget why you wanted the job in the first place when you’ve been looking for a while without any luck. But reminding yourself of your reasons can help you stay motivated. Maybe you want the job because it will help you gain experience in your field, or because it offers good benefits. Whatever your reasons, keep them in mind and let them inspire you to keep going. If you start getting frustrated, think about how happy you’ll feel once you land that job!

This is a great time to create a dream board and keep it where you can see it daily. Boards can have photos of your dream job, motivational quotes, etc. If you place it someplace visible, you can always glance over at it to remind yourself why you want the job.

5) Do Something Fun

When you’re feeling down about your job prospects, it can be tempting to just veg out on the couch and watch Netflix all day. But that’s not going to do anything to improve your situation. Instead, try to do something fun every day, even if it’s just for a few minutes. This will help you maintain your energy and enthusiasm levels as you continue your job search.

Most importantly of all…DON’T GIVE UP! Sometimes it takes time to find just the right job, and that’s okay! What are ways you stay motivated during your job search? Reach out and let us know!