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You are the force that must move your job search along. You can’t just wait for the offers to come rolling in.
Let’s agree that it is much easier to be a body at rest than a body in motion. It’s easy to push, defer, procrastinate, and pencil things in like updating your resume or writing a cover letter until after you binge-watch just one little show – all five seasons of it. Getting a new job isn’t just competitive, labor-intensive, rote, and stressful. It’s also the fear of rejection and being forced to start all over again. There are a lot of reasons to think about it tomorrow.
However, the reasons to be a body in motion are far greater. It’s obvious the primary reason is economic. There are people everywhere in the world who have such deep resources that work is an option. If you’re not one of those people, and regardless of how financially successful you may be, chances are you can’t weather unemployment for too long before the “stressful” part of a job search starts to kick ass and take names.
A lucrative job doing exactly what you are qualified to do at a company that overcompensates its employees and provides free lunch for all employees prepared by a Michelin Star chef and operates out of a luxury building less than a block from where you live was posted on every job board for a week but you never saw it because you were doing something other than finding work. Your job search cannot stop by itself. Only you can stop it. Stop stopping it.
Instead, consider the following:
1. Do Not Paint by the Numbers: The numbers look great! As of April 2023, the national unemployment rate is at a fifty-year low of 3.4% - down from 14.7% in April 2020 (Bureau of Labor Statistics). That is a remarkable drop. However, the Federal Reserve interest rate increases have unemployment in its crosshairs and are designed to inflict pain on the job market. Coupled with other inflation pressures the immediate future of the job market is uncertain. Don’t rely on the historical low of the unemployment rate to indefinitely work in your favor.
2. Focus on What You Can Control. Inflation. Recession. Bank meltdowns. Cryptocurrency fraud. We’re inundated with negative economic news that can make it difficult to keep your balance. Do not get discouraged by the noise. Tune out the doomsayers and focus on what you can control – submitting resumes, writing cover letters, hitting the job boards, etc. Shrink your world to your best prospects and the best ways to break into them.
3. Keep Up Momentum. Finding a job works on the honor system. You are the only person to whom you are accountable. If you put forth less effort than you are capable you increase the chances you will end up in the wrong position. There are many ways to keep you on track and you have to find the best ones for you. It may be committing to a certain number of hours per day or creating task lists that you must complete. If you have the financial resources, there are many professionals standing by to guide you through the process including, but not limited to, professional resume writers, career counselors, and for students or recent graduates (it’s May!) career centers and alumni groups.
4. Attack your network. Yes, attack. Searching for a job is the one-time people expect you to be aggressive. If it’s against your nature, then get over it. Adapt and overcome. Nobody is going to blame you for taking the steps you need to take to find employment. Reach out to whomever you can. Get on the phone and speak with mentors. Notify professional contacts you’re looking for work. Activate your “Open to Work” frame on your LinkedIn account. Wear a neon sign around your neck that says, “Will Work For Tons of Money.” Keep in mind there is a fine line between being aggressive in your job search and being downright annoying. Respect traditional boundaries.
5. Be realistic. Don’t let up, but don’t beat yourself up either. While circumstances vary and predictions cannot apply to everyone, on average it takes five months to find a new job from the time you submit a resume to the time you are hired (Bureau of Labor Statistics). Sometimes less, sometimes more, depending on the overall economy and a variety of other external factors. Experienced professionals in managerial and executive roles should keep in mind their job searches may be on the higher end of the average as there are fewer jobs available.
The best job you’ve ever had is waiting for you to claim it. Find it.
Philip Roufail contributed to this article.
Scott Singer is the President and Founder of Insider Career Strategies Resume Writing & Career Coaching, a firm dedicated to guiding job seekers and companies through the job search and hiring process. Insider Career Strategies provides resume writing, LinkedIn profile development, career coaching services, and outplacement services. You can email Scott Singer at scott.singer@insidercs.com, or via the website, www.insidercs.com.
