Dealing With Job Search Depression
Surely many of us have experienced the emotional ebbs and flows inherent to the Job Search. Jason Alba from Jibber Jobber lists some good points below to help arrest the depression that can often paralyze our ability to fight the good fight towards employment.
- Move on from the job boards. Sure, get on job boards, but set up their agents and then just watch your inbox. Don’t spend much time looking for openings where everyone else is.
- Set up a nice office. My office was in my bedroom. My bedroom was relatively dark. How can this be healthy? Now my JibberJobber office is in a nice dedicated room, with a nice big window. First thing I do in the morning is to open the blinds and let as much sun in as I can. I love looking at the sky – blue or gray or whatever… for me it’s so much healthier than my dark bedroom!
- Don’t watch TV. Especially the news. Most shows are, well, predictable. My guilty pleasure is The Office… but I watch it on Friday morning on my computer… 21 minutes with hardly any commercials. I’m not saying to not watch your favorite show, but don’t watch hours and hours and hours and… yeah, really. Jobless people watch that much TV… especially while we’re depressed. Movies are okay, however! Especially inspirational movies! Finally, the news? NO. OFF LIMITS.
- Get out of the house DAILY. You cannot maintain human sanity unless you are around other humans. You don’t have to talk to them (heaven forbid), but I think it’s good to be around other humans. Don’t like that? Go outside and be one with nature, or sit on your patio and soak up the sun… just get a change of venue.
- Exercise DAILY. I barely moved for months, which was not good for my joints or back. From bed to Lazy Boy (sp?) chair… my body went to pot, and I think I’m still paying the price for being so sedentary. Want easy? (a) Figure out a one mile walking route and do it daily (it should take about 20 minutes). (b) Do some pushups. Even girl pushups count
(c) Do some crunches. (d) Calf raises and/or squats. Do this regularly. - Write. I found writing very therapeutic. Start a blog, or start a journal, or buy a ream of paper. Use writing as a place to reflect on your life, where you want to go, etc. Do visualization exercises. It’s powerful.
- Read inspirational stuff. I cherish reading the autobiography of Hellen Keller, or Randy Pausch’s The Last Lecture. These books helped ground me. I love a good Grisham novel, and I LOVE to read Inc Magazine. There are certain scriptures that really hit home. Find something inspirational… and read it. Read good, healthy stuff regularly.
- Volunteer. Volunteering is just plain good. I tried two places, got reject both times, and gave up. I should have been more creative. Find places where you can keep your skills sharp, or contribute to the good of humanity. Out-of-Work Chicago is always looking for friendly faces to help with our events. Being productive and “part of” once again can really boost morale. If interested, please contact us
- HELP SOMEONE. Usually when they say “volunteer” in a job search I think about volunteering in a business setting. Do that. Beyond that, find someone who you can help in some way, big or small. You can do it anonymously, or they can know, but when you HELP SOMEONE you feel so good! So good! Careful, you might become addicted to helping people!
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Searching for a job when in need can be very depressing. However, I would recommend that each person take advantage of the opportunties the internet has to offer. Rather than physically visiting employers, I recommend visiting their websites. You get a lot more virtually.
http://www.freegovtjobs.com
well six mths now out of work police officer, hand full of interviews they say they dont decriminate huh 44 yrs old they look at me like a old fart.
Bill, I hear you. I’m a laid off paralegal and the Legal field just doesn’t seem to be hiring when it’s still laying off or freezing hiring. And I didn’t think age was going to be a problem but what jobs are posted are for 1-3 years of experience…please! I’m terrified of unemployment running out and still no job. I’ve been out of work over a year..had an interview for a temp assignment..11 spots and 300+ resumes received…apparently they can get out of work attorneys to do paralegal work…
There was a time when jobseekers pored over the ” Recruitment / Hiring ” sections of newspapers, searching for suitable jobs, for hours-on-end.
Then, with the arrival of internet , came job-portals, which were amongst the earliest websites.
Whereas considerable refinements have taken place in respect of resume-posting and resume-searching, job-searches have largely remained the same – with the jobseekers having to spend an enormous amount of time online.
I have tried to simplify and speed-up job-searches thru Magic Cube Job-Search on http://www.CustomizeResume.com
No “ Rocket – Science “ this !
One of these days, someone is bound to come-up with even better ” Geodesic Job – Search” which will have jobs listed on hundreds of faces against only 3 faces of Magic Cube – till someone cleverer makes job-search obsolete thru a personal job-search agent !
Regards
hemen parekh
hcp@RecruitGuru.com
Mumbai – India
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