How to Stay Determined and Focused on Your Next Job Hunt
Explore how you can stay determined and focused on your next job hunt, by learning how to stay organised whilst keeping a positive mindset.
What are the key takeaways?
- Assign yourself a goal before starting your job search so you know what you are exactly looking for.
- Create an effective schedule whilst you are actively applying and use a tracking document to keep track of applications.
- You can even use LinkedIn to find opportunity through connecting to others in the industry.
- Seek support from friends or colleagues where they can read through your CV, practicing mock interviews or even give general recommendations. You can even develop your skills by also exploring feedback after interviews.
- Remind yourself to stay positive during the job search, as not all things are guaranteed to go your way. Consider even taking some breaks. With the unpredictability of the market, keep your head up and don’t give up! You will get there in the end.
Create a goal in line with your ambitions
Before actively applying, take a moment to consider what you want your next job would look like. Build a ‘profile’ on what your ideal job looks like with location, salary and sector and how it may align with your career goals. Carrying out research can help widen your desirable criteria, such as flexible working, progressional opportunities or opportunities to learn new skills.
Unsure where to start with this? Read our blog all about planning your next career move.
Introduce a schedule
Consider introducing a schedule or agenda. If you are currently employed, and managing job hunting around your working hours, assign a particular slot in your diary to look at job application updates or explore what new opportunities have recently become available.
Introducing a schedule can help you to feel productive, rather than sporadically applying across the week (which can lead to stress or disruption to other tasks). If you come across any live jobs along the week, just simply save it and you can look at it later in your assigned timeslot.
Stay organised
If you are applying to various roles at once, it's easy to feel overwhelmed or confused between positions, leading to difficult situations. One technique to use is to create a ‘Job Application Tracker’ document or spreadsheet. You can include what role you applied for, when you applied, what organisation the vacancy is with, when the interview is etc, so you can follow your progress. You might even want to personalise it, for example placing the roles in an order based on which you are most excited about!
When you are signing up to job boards, forums or LinkedIn for your job search, you can also think about turning on the option for notifications or email updates. Many of these platforms will recommend new opportunities straight to your inbox depending on your activity and shown interest, saving you time and effort. If you do come across any organisations that are of, consider following their social media for the latest vacancies or even insightful market news.
Utilise LinkedIn
Not only can you explore new opportunities on LinkedIn, but take advantage of gaining new connections and enhancing your industry knowledge. LinkedIn gives you access to interesting insights and news to keep you in the loop of anything relevant to your specialism. You might even find that by contributing your own insightful posts, or engaging with others, can open up beneficial or meaningful connections to help you along with your job search.
On the other hand, spend some time enhancing your profile so it's attractive to potential hiring managers. Read more on our insightful blog here.
Ask for support
Finding a new opportunity doesn’t have to be a journey made alone. You can receive help from others such as friends, colleagues or managers towards finding a new opportunity. You can ask for recommendations or even join some networking events to get your name out there in the professional community.
It can also be beneficial to have a second opinion on your cover letters or CV, to check the flow, grammatical mistakes/typos, or missing information that someone else can point out to you. Check out our blog on how to put together a IT-focused CV!
Another way is to practice interview answers with someone, especially if they have been a Hiring Manager in the past, giving you a fresh perspective.
Gather feedback
If you have had a few interviews and unfortunately haven’t been offered, have you asked for feedback each time? Feedback is so valuable during your job search, as it’s a realistic picture of how you have performed in the application process. Once you have received feedback, make sure you store it somewhere so you can come back to it and think about how you can develop.
Imagine it as a new goal, and work towards improving it for the next time you do end up interviewing. Not all feedback is constructive, so use your judgement on if the feedback is valid, however, positive feedback can really grow your confidence going forward.
Know your limits
If you have found yourself receiving multiple rejections or lack of response in a short amount of time, then it is best advised to have some downtime.
If you are experiencing tiredness, irritability or feeling unproductive – you might have ‘job search burnout’. You may have reached a mental limit where you are lacking commitment to applying or not best using the time you have aside for your job search.
Take the time to switch off from the job search completely, so you can come back refreshed.
Keep a positive mindset
Remaining positive is easier said than done sometimes. Consider what helps you stay positive be that exercising, doing a hobby you enjoy in your spare time, arranging rewards for each interview you get, and maybe even creating a vision board to visualise what you want to achieve.
Frequently asked questions
I’m in-between jobs so I’m feeling really stressed that my applications aren’t going anywhere. How can I keep positive?
With every application or interview you have; you are one step closer to getting an offer. If you are doing everything you can, then keep focus on your circle of control such as goal setting, assigning time slots or researching where live jobs could be. Make sure you take days off, celebrate your wins along the way and still ensure that you are spending quality time for yourself!
How do I balance my personal time with applying to new roles?
Keep a dedicated time slot in your weekly schedule to apply to new roles. Based on this, also put time into when you will be spending some downtime such as going to the gym, seeing friends or just relaxing at home. A schedule can ensure a balance between both committing to applying, but also making sure you have time to unwind!
Should I change my CV with each role I apply to?
It’s a great advantage to have different versions of your CV for different roles. You can use the job description they provide or the organisation’s website to give you inspiration as to what to draw out on your CV such as skills or projects. You might as well enhance your chance to get an interview!
What tools are best for tracking my job applications?
Using a spreadsheet can help track your job applications, such as Microsoft Excel, Google Spreadsheets. Make sure to also utilise your calendar to know when vacancies closes or when the interview stages are to help you with your own organisation.
About Gravitas Recruitment Group
Gravitas Group are an international, award-winning recruitment agency, providing support to specialists across the Technology, Banking and Insurance sectors. If you are searching for a new opportunity, our consultants are happy to help you with a personalised service, offering market guidance and relevant opportunities, so you can feel supported when taking the next step in your career. Learn more about us here.
About the Author
Alex Boreham is a Principal Consultant in our London office. With over five years of recruitment experience, including talent acquisition roles, he is passionate about all things IT – especially Data Engineering. He particularly enjoys setting up networking events and is looking forward to hosting our latest Data event with Joseph Thushe and Ben Collerton.