7 Tips to Keep Your Spirits High and Your Job Search Rolling Along During Unemployment  

Unfortunately, depression is a common side effect of a long and exhausting job search that maybe isn’t going the way you planned. It can be hard at times to convince yourself that there’s light at the end of the tunnel, and you may feel yourself succumbing to pessimism.

But instead of being hard on yourself, you’ll have better luck with shifting your perspective. Restructuring your current plan and changing your mindset can help you face the future.  Here are seven tips to help you do that: 

Learn to Handle Rejection
It doesn’t matter who you are, there’s always someone who will have more experience and better qualifications than you do. That’s a reality of life. Sometimes it’s hard, but in time, you’ll find yourself in the position of being a more qualified candidate than your competitors. Jobs don’t reject you because they don’t like you – it’s simply because they found someone who’s a better fit. Don’t take it personally. 

Have a Morning Ritual
Devote specific time to your job search. When you don’t have a job, finding a job should become your priority. So:

• • • After you’ve showered and had breakfast, set aside a few hours to check your email and look for new job listings.
    • Creating to-do lists for what you want to accomplish in your search every day will allow you to monitor your progress, preventing you from feeling like you’re throwing your time away.
    • You can also work on your professional social media profiles or organize information relating to your job search.

Up your Networking Game
Sometimes it’s not what you know, it’s who you know. Platforms like LinkedIn can help you find people who know about jobs that aren’t being advertised. Look up former colleagues or coworkers to see if any may have valuable leads for you, or if they might be able to offer you a recommendation at their current place of employment. 

Leave the House More Often
If you’re used to going to work every day, having that yanked from your routine can leave you with a sense of emptiness. But the good news is that there are always job fairs, seminars, and career counseling to get you out of your living room (which sometimes you should leave for your own benefit!). Also, walk for your morning coffee, or spend some time at the gym. If you feel better physically, you can improve your emotional state. 

Consider Other Opportunities
What can you do in the meantime? Answer: You can always further your education to improve your qualifications. Taking internship or volunteer opportunities will help you feel productive, and they’re also experiences you can add to your resumé. These things may not pay the bills, but they’re a lot better than sitting idly by waiting for an email. 

Tether Yourself to Your Niche
A great candidate will always keep their spark. Engage yourself in your niche. Read relevant news and blogs that pertain to the industry in which you want to be employed. If you’re comfortable with your knowledge on the subject, you can also start your own industry niche blog. That will give you a valuable way to spend your time, and even boost your presence in search engines when potential employers research you. 

Reward your Efforts
Everyone needs a day off. Spending five days a week doing something to further your job search is enough. You can get burned out looking for a job just as quickly as you can get burned out being overworked at one. There’s nothing wrong with relaxing once in a while, or revisiting your favorite hobbies to help you feel sane and normal.

Unless you have a crystal ball, there’s no way to look into the future and know which lead or opportunity is the one that will land you with career success. Sooner or later, even a shot in the dark will hit something. If you find yourself feeling disillusioned, you can always innovate, change your angle, and start again.