How To Stay Positive During The Job Hunt

There is plenty of good career advice out there. Just Google “career advice” and there will be around 76 million results. But what happens when you’ve gone through “Make a Killer CV”, “The Most Important Question for HR”, and “Dress for Success” but your prospects remain the same? Staying positive might do the trick.

More than just making you feel better about yourself, staying positive could be the one thing you have control over throughout the job hunt.

Why stay positive?

Let’s face it, the hiring process revolves around like-ability. Recruiters and interviewers will look at your qualifications and consider whether you are worth taking a chance on – whether they like you or not. Future colleagues decide whether or not they welcome the thought of working with a particular candidate.

Maintaining a sunny outlook will help you make that good first impression, and immediately establish a rapport during your interviews.

How to stay positive

Remember: job hunting is not your profession. Don’t treat it like an episode of Amazing Race and book too many interviews one after another. If your whole schedule is filled with interviews from morning to afternoon, you will soon feel the strain of an emotionally draining task. And what’s worse, your recruiter could feel that tension and mistake it for something negative.

Give yourself some breathing room and time to compose yourself before each interview. A calm and relaxed demeanor will convey confidence.

Stop neglecting your passion projects

Never think for one moment that you should hold off on your interests. Having hobbies makes you a well-rounded person and gives you something to share during interviews. Many people light up when they discuss things they are truly passionate about. This can show the recruiter a different side of you, particularly if the previous side you were showing was a little on the nervous side.

Nurture yourself

Go for a run and let off some steam. Being physically fit not only helps you keep a sharp mind, it can build your stamina. You can also try recalling your earlier achievements to get an extra boost of self-confidence. Or take a long nap after updating your resume.

Being jobless can weigh heavily on our minds and it’s difficult to stay positive. Some things just take time.

Recruiters respond better to resilience than desperation. So remind yourself that your turn will come soon and keep going.