Looking for Work

Whether you are currently working, unemployed or in education, the process of finding and applying for a job is relatively the same. 

Looking for work requires a positive attitude and careful planning. Job hunting is hard work but it can also be a journey of discovery and your motivation level will affect your chances of finding employment.

You will feel much more confident approaching this phase if you have done some thinking and preparation. It also helps to understand the job search as a process or journey. Mastering this process is a very important step to developing skills in managing your own career. 

Overcoming Negative Attitudes

When you are unemployed or unhappy in your current job, worried about money, anxious about how your qualifications measure up and are afraid of rejection, you may sometimes find yourself struggling to keep a positive attitude.

Your confidence is a vital element in your work search - employers want to employ people who believe in themselves. Nothing destroys your self-confidence faster than a descent into negativity, worry and fear.

What you think about yourself affects both your expectations and your behavior. If you think you can't succeed (for example, "No one will hire me because I was fired" or "I'm too old/ too young /not educated enough") you'll feel defeated by your negative thoughts before you even begin your job search and may act in ways that are likely to create negative results.

Consider the following:

I will take any job I am able to get. 
If you find yourself saying this to yourself, you are more than likely selling yourself short. It's important to realize you are a unique person with your own individual skill set and interests. I'm sure there are endless possibilities to what you can do. If you follow up on the particular topics that interest you and where you already have specific skills acquired you will already have more motivation and an enhanced positive attitude. 

On the other hand if you don't know the kind of work you are looking for the risk is that you will end up taking a job you dislike, or are not a good fit for. Targeting your job search is a much more effective way of getting the job you desire rather than just handing out endless numbers of C.V's to random companies. 

I'm only qualified for one type of work.  

If you are of the opinion that you think you are only qualified for one specific type of work the chances are that you are limiting your options unnecessarily. You should stop thinking in terms of job titles and instead think about the skills you possess. For example take a teacher, they possess a variety of individual skills like communication, organisational and leadership skills. Same can be said for a hairdresser, they must be skilled in making customers feel comfortable, marketing products, dealing with cash and working efficiently. Different varieties of skills are necessary in the working environment and can be quiet easily transferred from one job to another. 

I have no idea what I want. 

Firstly, consider rephrasing this - what have you got to offer? If you have explored every avenue and still nothing stands out - I think this is a sign that you are not ready for a serious job commitment. If this is the case, don't go looking for one. Instead, reevaluate what you have to offer (skills, knowledge, experience, attitude, personality, values - etc) and just take any opportunity that presents itself to you for the time being as part of the learning process. You will be shocked at the amount you will learn from any position in just one month and as a result you will be wiser for it.