{"id":2322,"date":"2014-12-16T05:08:23","date_gmt":"2014-12-16T10:08:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/accelerateyoursearchnow.com\/blog\/?p=2322"},"modified":"2014-12-03T20:28:10","modified_gmt":"2014-12-04T01:28:10","slug":"job-search-holiday-blues","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/accelerateyoursearchnow.com\/blog\/2014\/12\/job-search-holiday-blues\/","title":{"rendered":"Job Search Holiday Blues"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/fb:like><\/div><\/div>
<\/div>\n
\"holiday<\/div>\n
\n

The holiday rush is on. \u00a0The New Year is right around the corner.<\/p>\n

This season is full of activities, energy and hope. \u00a0But, that is not always the case for unemployed people searching for a new job.<\/p>\n

In the United States, we still have millions of unemployed or underemployed people — many of who\u00a0feel lost, forgotten and sad.<\/p>\n

Businesses, in all regions, are still struggling to find employees with the skills they need.<\/p>\n

The holiday season presents challenges for both employers and potential candidates. \u00a0For many job seekers, the holiday season can intensify emotions, stifle momentum or even bring discouragement to an all-time high.<\/p>\n

I have helped thousands of people with their job search and hundreds of top executives. \u00a0No matter what your level, expertise or industry almost all job seekers experience dry spells, dips in results, and times when confidence and hope seem lost.<\/p>\n

If you have been unemployed for any period of time, there are points where you may need more than job search help. \u00a0Please seek assistance when you need it. \u00a0Little obstacles not resolved can turn into big barriers to your next job.<\/p>\n

Whether you are in a state of depression and need medical help or need help with heat\/food there are many resources. \u00a0Many you will never know about if you don’t ask for help. \u00a0There is no disgrace in asking for assistance. \u00a0We all need help in some form during our lives.<\/p>\n

If you are experiencing a dip in expected results or feel like you have “hit the wall” in your job search, don’t worry, it is not uncommon. \u00a0Below are a few tips to ward off the blues or at least help you regain your momentum.<\/p>\n

1. \u00a0\u00a0Know your what you offer.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Learn how the market views your offering and who needs your skills and experience.<\/p>\n

Be willing to flex your approach to the market. \u00a0Being open and realistic about your local\u00a0market can help you maintain\u00a0your focus and manage your fears.<\/p>\n

Statistically, the time it takes to become re-employed has changed from 2007 to 2014. \u00a0If you want to learn more, here is a presentation<\/a> for MIT Alumni by Ofer Sharone, a leading researcher in this area.<\/p>\n

2. \u00a0Care for yourself. \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

A job search can be stressful. \u00a0Create a plan\u00a0that includes healthy nutrition, exercise and down time. \u00a0Take mini-breaks daily to relax and enjoy the fresh air. Breathe — providing oxygen to your brain has been proven to help you think more clearly.<\/p>\n

Learn to meditate and\/or visualize your actions. \u00a0Either, or both, help!<\/p>\n

3. \u00a0Build and maintain a support system.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Stress and\/or focused activity often causes humans to draw inward. \u00a0Most humans function best within a community.<\/p>\n

Think about work teams and life structures, like our cities and towns. \u00a0People are social creatures and like to help, share and want others to be successful.<\/p>\n

The U.S. culture also teaches us not to butt in. \u00a0So if you don’t reach out and ask for help you may find that the people around you are shy about offering assistance.<\/p>\n

Ask. \u00a0You will be surprised what like-minded people will share.<\/p>\n

Talk. \u00a0Conversations open many doors.<\/p>\n

Join. \u00a0Professional groups, support groups and engage in your community.<\/p>\n

Give. \u00a0Share your expertise or lessons learned. \u00a0Thank those who help you.<\/p>\n

Receive. \u00a0Accept from those who support you. \u00a0You can always set aside an idea that does not work. \u00a0However, if you reject or are unwilling to receive, the flow of support may stop.<\/p>\n

4. \u00a0Create a plan, take action, evaluate at benchmarks.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Finding a job requires you\u00a0to market yourself. \u00a0Create a marketing plan with goals, action items\u00a0and evaluation benchmarks.<\/p>\n

Pick 3 action items daily and execute them. \u00a0Ensure 70% or more of your actions involve engaging people. \u00a0Neither voicemail nor email count as engaging people. \u00a0Interacting with people face-to-face, by phone or in groups is critical to generating ideas, support and opportunities.<\/p>\n

Record your actions and your results and evaluate against your benchmarks\/goals.<\/p>\n

Recruit a mentor, coach, friend, family member or fellow job seeker to help you stay accountable to your goals — report to them each time a benchmark is reached.<\/p>\n

5. \u00a0Be creative and consider alternatives.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Understand that some goals will not be achieved and others may not materialize on your timeframe.<\/p>\n

Think about options. \u00a0How can you expand your network? \u00a0 How can you create alternative income streams? \u00a0What can you do that you did not consider at the start of your search?<\/p>\n

Test your views about temporary assignments or contract positions. \u00a0Test your beliefs about security and job tenure.<\/p>\n

I often hear people speak about permanent or full-time jobs. \u00a0What does that mean to you? \u00a0What does that mean in the marketplace?<\/p>\n

Be honest with yourself. \u00a0What is permanent? \u00a0If we are honest with ourselves, we realize no job is ever permanent — change happens all the time.<\/p>\n

6. \u00a0Spend your time wisely and with the right people.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Not all tasks or people are as effective as others. \u00a0Yes, people do find jobs via job boards online, however, it is not the most common source of job leads.<\/p>\n

Some people are helpful and positive and others are not. \u00a0When possible, stay away from negative people and situations. \u00a0If you are feeling blue, don’t spend your time with other sad or negative people. \u00a0Research shows\u00a0that your body will sync with the vibrations around you. \u00a0Sad music creates a sad mood. \u00a0Upbeat music lifts the vibration of a room.<\/p>\n

The same is true with people. \u00a0If there are people in your life that bring you down or impact your job search in a negative manner take a break from these people.<\/p>\n

7. \u00a0Monitor your attitude.<\/strong><\/p>\n

You control how you view and react to the world. \u00a0Resilience and confidence are important. \u00a0 Each are built on skills you can practice and a mindset you can develop.<\/p>\n

Add things to your life (and your job search schedule) that bring you joy, hope and a sense of gratitude. \u00a0A simple quote or photo at the beginning of each day can lift your mood.<\/p>\n

Understand you will have days and periods of time where your job search will plateau or drag. \u00a0Maintain focus on activities that garner results. \u00a0When you need help, seek a qualified counselor or career coach. \u00a0Build a\u00a0team that\u00a0provides encouragement and guidance.<\/p>\n

Should the job search holiday blues grip you, my hope is that these tips will help. \u00a0Brighter days are ahead. \u00a0You can regain your momentum.<\/p>\n

Have you beat the holiday blues? \u00a0Do you a tip or action that helped you?<\/p>\n

Please share it below. \u00a0Your share might be the gift another reader needs this season.<\/p>\n

Anyone fighting the holiday job search blues who calls<\/a> me this week will receive\u00a0a 30-minute one-on-one phone session during the week. \u00a0We will focus on action steps to accelerate your search and regain your momentum. \u00a0If you need help, pick up the phone.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The holiday rush is on. \u00a0The New Year is right around the corner. This season is full of activities, energy and hope. \u00a0But, that is not always the case for unemployed people searching for a new job. In the United States, we still have millions of unemployed or underemployed people — many of who\u00a0feel lost, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26,44,94],"tags":[65,45,120,17],"class_list":["post-2322","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-action-tips","category-job-search-2","category-mindset","tag-career-advice","tag-holiday-blues","tag-job-search-blues","tag-simple-job-search"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/accelerateyoursearchnow.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2322","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/accelerateyoursearchnow.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/accelerateyoursearchnow.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/accelerateyoursearchnow.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/accelerateyoursearchnow.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2322"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"http:\/\/accelerateyoursearchnow.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2322\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2331,"href":"http:\/\/accelerateyoursearchnow.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2322\/revisions\/2331"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/accelerateyoursearchnow.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2322"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/accelerateyoursearchnow.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2322"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/accelerateyoursearchnow.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2322"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}