{"id":295,"date":"2011-11-09T09:16:00","date_gmt":"2011-11-09T09:16:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/career-advice\/stay-sane-while-on-the-job-hunt\/"},"modified":"2019-09-27T08:07:56","modified_gmt":"2019-09-27T15:07:56","slug":"stay-sane-while-on-the-job-hunt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/stay-sane-while-on-the-job-hunt\/","title":{"rendered":"Stay Sane While on the Job-Hunt"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"rsz_stay_sane_while_on_the_job-hunt\"So you\u2019ve been unemployed for a while now, and you\u2019re tearing your hair out with boredom and frustration.
\nRead our tips on how to stay sane and motivated while looking for that dream job:<\/p>\n

Get Temping<\/strong>
\nTaking a temp job<\/a> will solve a myriad of woes. It will get you earning some money, keep you occupied for a few days, and help fill in the dreaded \u201cgap\u201d in your resume. Also, there is always the chance that the employer you\u2019re temping for will like you and offer you a full time opportunity, or you may become aware of other positions in the company that you could apply for.<\/p>\n

Gather together all your letters of recommendation<\/strong>
\nPut all your letters of reference, nice emails from past bosses, certificates, testing scores and anything else that makes you feel good about yourself into a binder. On days when you\u2019re feeling low, pull it out, and remind yourself how great you are!<\/p>\n

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Get a Hobby<\/a><\/strong>
\nFind an activity that will keep you busy and keep you motivated to get up each day. It doesn\u2019t have to be
\nexpensive; try running, hiking, knitting, at-home workout DVDs, reading library books, photography (you
\ncould start a photo blog and share it with friends and family!), painting, or scrapbooking (your local dollar
\nstore will have fantastic cheap art supplies!). Also, check out the website www.meetup.com where locals who
\nare interested in similar things can find each other and go on planned activities, often for free! And of course
\nthere\u2019s always many volunteer opportunities that would love to have you helping out!<\/p>\n

Plan your day as if you were at work<\/strong>
\nThe worst thing you can do is treat every day like the weekend (although tempting as it sounds!). You need
\nto give yourself structure; get up at a set time, get dressed (moping around in sweats or pajamas will not
\nkeep you motivated!), spend the first few hours of the day on the job hunt. Check specific websites each day
\nfor new postings, follow up with employers with whom you have applied to, update your resume and
\ncustomize cover letters<\/a> to each job you apply for, phone a few people from your phonebook each day to
\ncheck in and remind them that you\u2019re still looking for work. Have a checklist of things you need to accomplish
\neach day (even doing the laundry and getting the groceries will help you feel like you have acheived something).<\/p>\n

Chill Out<\/strong>
\nSome days you may have \u201cone of those days\u201d where you freak out because you\u2019re not getting any bites. But just
\ntake a deep breath, remind yourself that you won\u2019t be unemployed forever, and tomorrow will be one step closer
\nto having that job. Enjoy the time you have off – see it as an opportunity to do all the things you never had time
\nto do when you were working!
\nRelated to Stay Sane While on the Job-Hunt:<\/strong><\/p>\n