In today’s
economy many job seekers find it difficult to continue their job search after
months or even a year or more of effort with few or no results. It’s no denying that after a year
or two of fruitless job searches, a job candidate may begin to doubt if their
persistence will ever pay off.
Well the good news is that persistence does in fact pay off; but it must
be persistence with a solid strategy which is adapted to our current reality.
Below are a few tips on how to maintain job search persistence the smart way:
1.
Forget
about relying solely on the traditional methods of searching for a job, which
is sending out a resume and cover letter only and waiting for the phone to
ring. When the unemployment rate
is nearly ten percent and possibly rising, leaning on traditional job search
methods are not guaranteed to get you a job.
2.
Be
willing to approach your goal with several different strategies. Combine traditional resume mailings
with networking meetings, informational and online social networking. Be
willing to work with other job seekers to share leads, skills and support.
3.
Consider
altering your job goals. Is it too
difficult to get the job you’re looking for right now? Are you willing to take a job in your
industry but at a lower level or a lower pay rate? We’re not saying that you
should remain at the lower level and salary, but you can use it as a starting
point while the economy recovers.
4.
Adjust
your expectations about job search results. When the economy was booming, finding a job might have taken
a few months at the most, but during a recession waiting for a year or more is
the new reality.