Articles From the Team

Don’t let your job search get you down

Looking for a new job can be an exciting time. It can be a sad time. A desperate time. You can be looking to see what your options are for a future move. You can be looking because you have no other option, you’ve been made redundant, your personal circumstances have changed and you need a change in work/life balance. Or you could be looking because you are desperately unhappy and need to change jobs, you don’t mind what it is, you just need out.

Whatever your reason for searching for a new job, it is important that you stay motivated and don’t let it get on top of you. Here are my three ways to ensure you keep the energy you need;

1) Dedication

If you are still in employment, as opposed to going through a redundancy process or being unemployed, then keep on dedicating yourself to your existing job. This seems obvious. But think about all the times when you have suspected that your colleague is leaving/has another job/is going through something outside of work. You thought it because they took their eye off the ball or their work has become sloppy. Don’t be that colleague/employee. Treat your job with respect.

If you are unemployed then stay dedicated to your job search. If you have decided to spend two hours each morning looking at adverts, contacting recruiters, chasing up your applications then stick to it. The same goes for interviews, it doesn’t matter if it’s your fifth interview in a week, dedicate your energy to each interview.

2) Organisation

Keep track of your applications, interviews and jobs/companies you are interested in. Some candidates have a spreadsheet, others keep hand written notes. It doesn’t matter how you do it, just keep track of where your CV has gone, closing dates, which recruiter is handling which application and the schedule for any interviews. If you come across as unorganised to anyone (potential employer, recruiter, your current employer in fact) then alarms bells will ring.

3) Perspective

Remember that looking for a new job can be time consuming, brain consuming and soul consuming. Make sure you give yourself some time away from it. Yes – you need to be dedicated but you need to ensure you don’t start to resent it. Make sure you stick to your social routine, if you always do the pub quiz with your uni mates on a Wednesday then make sure you take a break from CV rewriting/job searching to keep that pastime going. Don’t let it get you down or get on top of you. Easier said than done, especially if you are unemployed or redundancy is looming, however it is important that you stay focused on the prize, your end goal. If taking a few days out from looking for a job means you come back with a more positive outlook then do it.

For more information contact BCL Legal.