This week I went out of town on vacation to Myrtle Beach, the days before I left were spent trying to finish up assignments and work that I knew I wouldn’t touch once I was away. I want to say that I got everything I needed to do done, except I noticed that where I cut corners was when it came to the thi
ngs that I needed to do for myself. I have also just started working with a new group of wonderful women in a group career coaching program, and the topic of staying committed to the job search came up.
It got me thinking about how do I support these women in staying committed to a process that is generally 6 months long when I myself could use a kick in the butt about staying committed to my own goals? The job search is one of those things that you are generally doing for yourself and by yourself. For the most part you are the main beneficiary when it comes to finding a position that you love. And of course your family and dependents benefit as well, both financially and from having a happier you.
So how do you stay committed to the job search process, when you are working full-time, or in school, and often times dealing with a myriad of other responsibilities? I think the first thing is to get in touch with is why are you searching. What is the long term goal, is it to change your financial situation, or work towards a long term career goal? Choose something that really speaks to you; make it more than just not liking your current job or supervisor or salary. When we are fueled by something negative, we tend to pick it up and put it back down depending on our mood. When our boss pisses us off, then we feel inspired to complete job applications, however that kind of inconsistency will drag the job search process out and can lead to frustration.
Once you have your positive goal in mind, make sure to schedule your time. If you really take a look at your day to day life, the majority of it is scheduled. You must be at work at a certain time, which leads you to plan what time you wake up and go to sleep, most of the time you have mentally planned when you take lunch and eat dinner and see friends. Do the same with your job search. Take a look at your schedule weekly and block off time that you are committing to yourself, don't only block off time but also consider what you would like to accomplish during those periods.
I think the next best thing that you can do to stay committed is finding a support group or creating your own. Yes, the majority of the tasks that you will be doing for your job search are done alone, but there is no need that you have to be lonely when doing them. Find someone that you can share your schedule with and who will check and make sure you are completing your tasks and sticking to your job search strategy. Creating that accountability will help you in staying the course and it will also give you someone to lean on when the road gets a little rough.