Tag: career

Creating a routine that keeps you grounded

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When you are unemployed, it is tempting to sleep until 10:00 am (or later) and lounge around a good part of the day watching daytime television between job applications. After all, job hunting is exhausting and draining.

Yes, it is, but that is not a good idea.

Unemployed people still need a sense of routine in their lives. A person without a routine is in for a rude awakening once they do land a job and have to adjust to having one.

If you are without a job, how do you create a routine that keeps you grounded during your job search? Your idea of a routine may be different from mine, and your mileage may vary.

  1. Get up at the same time every day, including weekends. (And by this, I don’t mean 10:00 am or later. I mean a time when people with jobs get up.) You did this when you were working, so don’t stop now. You will need this consistency when you have a job again.
  • Sit down in front of the computer and begin the job hunt at the same time every day. This ensures that the job search actually gets done.
  • Set a goal of how many jobs to which to apply each day. Maybe you can only apply to one per day without going insane. If that’s the case, then make one job your goal for the day. There will be days when you don’t find anything for which you qualify. If that happens, just walk away from the computer, have a good cry, and know that you have tried your best. (However, don’t give up until you have been looking for at least a few hours.)
  • You need not eat lunch and/or dinner at the same time every day, but please put some food in your system during days when you job hunt. (I understand that, with many people out of work and SNAP running out of money, you may not be able to eat lunch and/or dinner. If that is your case, please reach out to your local food bank or church.)
  • Remember: It’s okay to have a good cry once in a while.

In a nutshell, what routine keeps you grounded during your job search?

Mending your confidence after job rejections

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We have all been there.

You put your best foot forward in your job application, your resume, and your cover letter, only to get that wonderful love letter in your email weeks later that informs you that the company has “decided to pursue other candidates.”

You wonder what these “other candidates” have that you don’t. Or what they can offer that you can’t.

And that is if you get a response at all.

You decide to move on and keep applying, only to have the same thing happen again. In some cases, over and over.

When this happens to a job seeker, it not only erodes their confidence, but can ultimately destroy it. What can a person do to boost confidence in the face of rejection?

  1. Spend time with people who love you. This would not only mean your spouse or significant other (if you have one), but also your family and friends. Tell them about what is happening in your job search, whether it is good or bad. Listen to them when they tell you good things about you (“You are one smart cookie!” “You are such a good writer! I love reading what you write!”) and commit them to memory. They can neutralize the acid of rejection.
  • Participate in hobbies or activities at which you excel. If you regularly score high at bowling, hit the alley. If swimming is your thing, go to the gym, YMCA, or community pool and do enough laps to brag about. Thinking about how good you are at these things will help your overall confidence.
  • Be sure to get enough sleep. This may sound incongruous, but we all know that you need enough sleep to function at your best and look your best, and when you look and function at your best, your confidence increases. It’s a trickle-down effect.

Above all, don’t give up. You can land that job.

What do you do to boost your confidence in the face of job rejection?

Caution: Drainage ahead

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Based on what I’ve seen on LinkedIn lately, a lot of people are looking for work—whether they have been laid off, fired, or have just graduated from college or graduate school.

I have to say that I know how they feel, having been in a few periods of job-hunting myself. And I can honestly say that job-hunting drains you.

You search the job boards or company “careers” sites intensely for hours, clicking on a job title that sounds promising, only to read the qualifications and find out that this job is here (holding hand above head) and you are here (holding hand at chest level). Or you find a great-looking one and realize that it is three hours from your home, and you wonder how desperate you are. Your heart can only sink so many times before you break down and cry.

You tailor your resume to the job for which you are applying, and this requires some brain power. You try to make each item under each past job sound not only professional but spectacular. You want to make sure your resume stands out, but you know in your heart that this position is going to garner hundreds, if not thousands, of resumes, and you wonder if a human being will ever see yours.

If you are like me, you write your cover letters yourself, rather than using AI to write them. This can be very tiring, as you must tailor each letter to the position for which you are applying. You jot down in a notebook what attributes in the qualifications you have, and in the letter, you try to highlight each one with professional-sounding, fancy language. You try to accentuate your accomplishments without making the letter too long. And let’s face it—writing the sentence “I look forward to hearing from you” really gets old after a while.

If you are blessed enough to get an interview, you spend a ton of time preparing for it, and after it’s over, you write the thank-you email and wait. Then you follow up a week later. Then you hear nothing. Or you eventually get that love letter in your email inbox informing you that “we have decided to pursue other candidates.”

This is my own experience, although I have successfully landed jobs before.

What’s the most draining thing for you about job-hunting?

Care of your LinkedIn profile

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If you are a freelance editor, or if you are a business owner of any kind, I am certain you have a profile on the social media platform known as LinkedIn. Even if you despise Facebook, X, or other social media sites, you know you need a LinkedIn profile because that is where potential clients will go to find out if you and your business are legitimate—and hopefully decide to work with you. Your profile needs to not only be there, but be impeccable.

In this post, I will discuss how to maintain your profile so that it will attract people and let them know that you really know your trade.

First, your picture should be up to date. It should look professional—no selfies from the night in Ocean City when you and your friends were drinking. A professional headshot is best, and many portrait studios will take one for a price. You do not want to leave the photo field on LinkedIn blank. Most people will dismiss a profile that has no picture.

Other items that should be regularly kept up to date are “About,” “Experience,” “Education,” and “Featured.” You should visit your LinkedIn profile about once a month and pay special attention to these sections. Update them as necessary. If you uploaded your resume in the “Featured” section, for example, and it is no longer up to date, then run, don’t walk, to Word, update your resume, and replace it.

A note about the “Experience” section: If you filled it in simply by posting your chronological resume, that will not impress anybody. For each role, it is best to write a short paragraph showing not only what you did, but what you accomplished by doing it. For example, in the entry for one of my volunteer positions at a church, I wrote, “My main role here was that of editing various works which the church produces, such as Bible study booklets, weekly programs, and informational materials. Thanks to my work, the church’s documents were crisp and professional in appearance.”

Don’t forget to collect as many recommendations as possible and list any honor societies you were in and any awards you have.

I wish you the best in your client- and work-seeking endeavors.