Your mindset has a huge impact on the success of your job search. Without a healthy and positive mindset, discouragement, frustration and bitterness can cause a job search to fizzle. Optimism, enthusiasm and an open mind show up in every interaction. Having a positive mindset will take job seekers in the direction of new a fulfilling work. Here are some ways to maintain a healthy mindset while job seeking:
- Let go of the past
No matter what happened in the past – an unexpected layoff, bitter departure from your last job, sad breakup of last employer, or the unfruitful job search so far – you can put all that behind you. Don’t let the past stop you from focusing on what you can do now to create your future.
- Focus on what you can control
There are always things we can’t control. You can’t control whether a recruiter will return your phone call. You can control how you compose your reach-out message and if you continue to look for feedback to improve your future messages. Take control of what you can and let go of the rest. There is always something the job seeker can do to impact his or her success. Feeling helpless creates a negative outlook. Taking control creates a positive mindset.
- Set realistic, but challenging goals
It always feels great when crossing something off the to-do list. Set aggressive but attainable goals, track your progress and reward yourself for meeting them. It’s important to make sure you make progress in a balanced manner in all areas of your job search, such as exploring and researching opportunities, meeting contacts in-person, growing professional network online, and generating job leads. Don’t only make progress in an area that is easy for you and stall out in a more difficult area. As you make progress towards your goals, you will naturally feel positive and gain upbeat outlook about your job search.
All these are great ways to help you maintain a mindset that will help you move forward in your journey to find your next job. But they all mean nothing if you don’t make a decision and a commitment to take action. Make a promise to yourself and put these into practice. Keep that promise.
