Three great new articles were added to Job-Hunt this week:

• Keeping Your Job Search Momentum – article by recruiter Jeff Lipschultz, Job-Hunt’s Working with Recruiters Expert.
• Resume Length Marketability Debate – article by Jacquie Barrett-Poindexter, Job-Hunt’s Job Search Marketability Expert.
• Understanding Career Assessment 4 – article by Susan Guarneri, Job-Hunt’s Career Assessments Expert.

And, of course: Job-Hunt Help LinkedIn Group and the Job-Hunt Blog.

Four great new articles were added to Job-Hunt this week:

• Being Realistic About the Job Market – article by Tory Johnson, Job-Hunt’s Fired-to-Hired Expert.
• Impact of Your Online Reputation – article by Dr. Kate Duttro, Job-Hunt’s Careers for Academics Expert.
• Career Transition Lessons for Women – article by Job-Hunt’s Job Search for Women Expert, Deborah Shane.
• Finding a Sales Job in a Slow Economy – article by Erin Kennedy, CPRW, Job-Hunt’s Marketing & Sales Job Search Expert.

And, of course: Job-Hunt Help LinkedIn Group and the Job-Hunt Blog.

Four great new articles were added to Job-Hunt this week:

• Leveraging LinkedIn Groups for Personal Branding – article by Job-Hunt’s Personal Branding Expert, Meg Guiseppi.
• Too Old for Career Adventure? – article by Job-Hunt’s Boomer Job Search Expert, Phyllis Mufson.
• Turning Your Love of Pets into Income – article by Job-Hunt’s Lifestyle-Friendly Careers Expert, Nancy Collamer.
• So VERY Discouraged in Your Job Search? from the Job-Hunt Blog

And, don’t forget to follow Job-Hunt’s Twitter account@JobHuntOrg, and join us on Job-Hunt Help LinkedIn Group.

Three great new articles were added to Job-Hunt this week:

• Making Networking Work – article by Wendy Gelberg, Job-Hunt’s Job Search for Introverts Expert.
• Job Search Tips for Veterans’ Spouses – article by Diane Hudson Burns, Job-Hunt’s Veterans’ Job Search Expert
• Right Time for a Socially-Minded Career? – article by Sean Harvey, Job-Hunt’s Values-Based Careers Expert.
• Job-Hunt Help LinkedIn Group

You have:

• Revised your resume a thousand times, minimum.
• Spent months online,  applying for thousands of jobs.
• Dragged yourself to hundreds of networking meetings.  Or at least 5.

The result:  Nada.  Nothing.  No new job.  Waste of time and energy. 

Well, maybe, or maybe NOT!

Beware the Self-Fulfilling Prophecy

If you’ve found yourself saying, when yet another networking meeting (or application or phone call) seemed to fail, “See!  I knew that wouldn’t work,” you may be reaping the failure you expect.

Psychologists call this the “Self-Fulfilling Prophecy” and it’s an easy trap to fall into!  You get the bad result you expect to get, because you expect to get that bad result.  You cause it by expecting it – certainly not 100% of the time, but too often.

Being so discouraged could be making it more difficult for you to succeed.  At the very least, feeling discouraged will negatively impact what you are doing, and how well you present yourself at a networking event, in an interview, or even on a phone call.

So, Now What?

My very strong recommendation: Get help.  Even the Lone Ranger had Tonto!  Two (or more) heads really are often better than one!

Where to find help:

• In a good book. “What Color Is Your Parachute?” is a perennial best seller for good reason.  If you’re not sure what you want to do, this book will help you figure that out, and it’s very hard to find a job when you don’t know what you are looking for.
  

  Note: Check the copyright date of the book. Job hunting has changed so much in the last couple of years that a book written before 2008/2009 could well be out of date already.

• Online. We’re almost drowning in information about job search, resumes, cover letters, interviews, etc.  Use LinkedIn, Facebook, even Twitter to identify the people who seem to know what they’re talking about (like the people in the Career Collective).
• Off-line. Find a job search support group in a local church/synagog/temple/mosque/etc., your city hall, your public library, the local Starbucks or Panera, etc.
• School Career Center. If you’ve attended or graduated from  college or vocational training, check to see if they provide career support for their “alums,” and don’t assume that graduating is a requirement!
• CareerOneStop Centers. In the US, every state has a bunch of these CareerOneStops.  It’s where you registered for unemployment compensation.  They have counselors and sometimes classes.  They may also have job search support groups.
  

Also a good idea to:

• Verify your online persona: Google your name to see what you find.  You might be surprised at what could be sabotaging your job search.
• Volunteer. Good for your spirits, good for your favorite cause or political candidate, good networking, and good for filling in experience (or calendar) gaps in your resume.
• Consider other options: Maybe this is the right time to start your own business, even if it’s “just” a one-person consulting business or a pizza delivery business.  Starting and running your own business is a very educational experience!  This could be “the start of something big” or keep the mortgage up to date.  It won’t be easy, but it will be very interesting!
• Take a break: Go to a movie, go to the library, take a bike (or sled) ride.  Get OUT of your home, or, at least, away from your computer.
• Pretend. And, last but not least, as one of my most dynamic and successful former bosses used to say, “Don’t let them see you sweat, Susan.  Fake it until you make it!”  Works for a job search, too.

Remember: You WILL survive this.  You WILL have another job.  Seriously!

Check my “Beating the Job Search Blues” and “Feeling Like a Job Search Failure” articles for more ideas, and add your suggestions in the Comments below.

—————————————————

Career Collective, February, 2010, Topic: What do you do when you’re really, really, really discouraged about your unsuccessful job search? How do you overcome the negative aspects of job search?

How did members of the Career Collective respond? Follow us on Twitter with our hashtag #careercollective, and read these posts:

• @MartinBuckland, Job Search Made Positive
• @GayleHoward, Job Search: When It All Turns Sour
• @chandlee, Strategy for Getting “Unstuck” and Feeling Better: Watch Lemonade
• @heathermundell, Help for the Job Search Blues
• @heatherhuhman, 10 Ways to Turn You Job Search Frown Upside-Down
• @KCCareerCoach, You Can Beat the Job Search Blues: 5 + 3 Tips to Get Re-Energized
• @WalterAkana, Light at the End of the Tunnel
• @resumeservice, Don’t Sweat the Job Search
• @careersherpa, Mind Over Matter: Moving Your Stalled Search Forward
• @WorkWithIllness, Finding Opportunity in Quicksand
• @KatCareerGal, Job-Hunting in a Weak Job Market: 5 Strategies for Staying Upbeat (and Improving Your Chances of Success)
• @ErinKennedyCPRW, Dancing in the Rain–Kicking the Job Search Blues
• @keppie_careers, What do do when you are discouraged with your job search
• @DawnBugni, It’s the little things
• @ValueIntoWords, Restoring Your Joy in Job Search
• @jobhuntorg, Just SO VERY Discouraged
• @barbarasafani Making Job Search Fun (Yeah, That’s Right!)
• @GLHoffman, How to Overcome the Job Search Negativity
• @ExpatCoachMegan, Dealing With Job Search Stress: Getting to the Source of the Problem

Three great new articles were added to Job-Hunt this week:

• 10 Ways Social Media Is Like Online Dating – article by Marci Reynolds, Job-Hunt’s Social Media & Job Search Expert.
• What to Do When Your Network Is Unemployed – article by Beverly Harvey, Job-Hunt’s Executive Job Search Expert.
• Preparing Your ECQ’s – article by Camille Carboneau Roberts, Job-Hunt’s Federal Government Job Search Expert.

Career Spotlight for this week: Fitness Trainers and Instructors – $26,000/year, expected 10-year job growth is 27%. More about other careers in the Career Changers’ Guide.

1.  Carol McClelland, author of the new Dummies Guide to Green Careers, will continue and expand Job-Hunt’s Green Jobs Job Search Guide section, and

2.  Mark Cohen, experienced HR Manager, will answer your questions in Job-Hunt’s brand new “Ask the HR Manager” section.

Three great new articles were added to Job-Hunt this week:

• Expanding Your Local Green Network – article by Job-Hunt’sGreen Jobs Job Search Expert, Carol McClelland.
• How Do I Get a Reference from my Boss? and Can I Negotiate My Severance Package? – answers from Job-Hunt’s HR Expert, Mark Cohen inAsk the HR Manager section.
• More Than Just Numbers – article by Barbara Safani, Job-Hunt’s Finance Industry Job Search Expert.
• Career Change: Charting a New Course for Your Career – research and exploration to determine the best direction, the newest blog post by Susan P. Joyce, Job-Hunt’s Online Job Search Expert.

Career Spotlight for this week: Salary & Benefits Specialist – $50,000/year, expected 10-year job growth is 18%. More about other careers in the Career Changers’ Guide.

Four great new articles were added to Job-Hunt this week:

• What Should NOT Be on Your Resume – article by Tory Johnson, Job-Hunt’s Fired-to-Hired Expert.
• Twitter Is the Newest Job Board? – article by Marci Reynolds, Job-Hunt’s Social Media & Job Search Expert.
• What Women Want – article by Deborah Shane, Job-Hunt’s Job Search for Women Expert.
• Career Change: Charting a New Course for Your Career – research and exploration to determine the best direction, the newest blog post by Susan P. Joyce, Job-Hunt’s Online Job Search Expert.

Twitter Bonus: Job Search TweetSheet – one-page guide to using Twitter for your job search, by Marci Reynolds, Job-Hunt’s Social Media & Job Search Expert.

Job-Hunt’s Twitter Account and Job-Hunt’s Job-Hunt Help LinkedIn Group were selected as 2 of the 10 “best” Social Media Job Search Tools.

Find all the US Department of Labor Job Seeker Tools on CareerOneStop.org.

So what do you do now?

Speaking as a person who has made the frying-pan-fire transition at least twice and had 5 majors in 5 years of undergraduate study (I’m interested in everything!), this is not a simple question to answer, particularly when you are working full time.  Or, when you are looking for a job full time.

My advice:  Try, before you “buy!”

Having also been unfortunate enough to discover in the last semester of my 2nd senior year in college when my student teaching experience convinced me teaching high school American History or English was probably the last thing I wanted to do, trying a job before you are committed to it is smart.

So, how?

• Figure out what interests you.  What would you enjoy doing to make a living?

If possible, take some career assessments to help understand yourself better. If you’re frantic to find a new job, you may be thinking I don’t have time for this!

The reality is that this is one of the best things you can do right now.  If you don’t do it now, when will you do it?  Take the time to think about where you’re going before you get there.  What if you hate that next job and need to start looking too soon?  How does that save you time?

My two frying-pan-fire experiences happened when I was so interested in leaving a job I no longer liked that I didn’t pay enough attention to where I was going (new job).  In both cases, I was job hunting again in less than a year – in one case, less than 2 months (turned out the “assistant office manager” was the one who was supposed to clean the toilets once a week).  Who needs that aggravation?

• Once you have some possibilities in mind, talk to people who actually have those jobs.

Ask questions, like:

*   What happens in a typical day?  Typical week/month/year?

*   What are best and worst parts of the job?  What do they like/hate about the job?  What are the toughest issues/situations?  What are the most enjoyable aspects of the job?

*   What is a typical career path?  What options open up with this job on your resume?

*   What job(s), experience(s), education would be the best preparation?

*   Which are the best employers, and what makes them the best?

*   What organizations are most helpful to people with this job?

*   What education/certification is required/helpful?

*   What experience is great to have as a foundation?

Take it all in, but don’t believe 100% of it – we all have our biases and very different backgrounds.  What is a negative for one person (perhaps, all those pesky people asking too many questions) may be a positive for you (maybe, a wonderful opportunity to meet new people and learn new things).

Again, time for thinking and evaluating what you’ve heard and learned, and what you know about yourself.

DO NOT ASK THESE PEOPLE FOR A JOB!  You are asking for advice and information, not a job, and YOU pay for the coffee or lunch or whatever if it’s a face-to-face meeting.  Be sure to see  if you can help them in some way.  And, be sure to send a thank you, particularly if they’ve taken time out of their schedule to talk with you.  Respect your network!

• Test-drive the job by volunteering, if possible, or by interning.

So many worthy charitable organizations, even political campaigns, need help!  Find one you believe in, and see if you can help them in a way that also helps you.  Thinking about changing from journalism to PR, offer to help with the organization’s PR.  Thinking about changing from HR to marketing, offer to help with their HR.  I know so many people who kicked off their Web development/marketing careers by working on their church’s Website or their kid’s hockey team or hockey league.  It happens!

Of course, other big benefits from volunteering include filling an experience or skill gap in your resume, perhaps gaining a good recommendation, relevant to the field you want next, and – of course – expanding your network!

Bottom Line

Sometimes change is involuntary (read Involuntary Change Can Be Good), and even when it is involuntary, doing some solid research can help you avoid grabbing the first frying-pan-to-fire job opportunity you have.

About the author…

Online job search expert Susan P. Joyce has been observing the online job search world and teaching online job search skills since 1995. Susan is a two-time layoff “graduate” who has worked in human resources at Harvard University and in a compensation consulting firm. In 1998, her company, NETability, Inc. purchased Job-Hunt.org, and Susan has been editor and publisher of Job-Hunt since then. Follow Susan on Twitter at @jobhuntorg.