"Back in the Old Days" as we "seniors" like to say, you had to do a lot of hard work hunting for a job. If you were out of work, you spent as much time per day looking for a job as you used to spend actually working each day and in some cases even longer. There was a lot of walking, worn out shoes and attempts to keep a smile on your face day after day, even when you didn't feel like it.
You were up at the crack of dawn with the day's newspaper, looking through the want ads, checking for any new listings. You were making sure that you had plenty of resumes and cover letters ready to put in the mail or to hand carry into local businesses to submit an application. Then there is getting together an outfit that is appropriate for job hunting or interviewing.You eat breakfast, grab a shower, are dressed and out the door shortly after 8am so you can start "pounding the pavement."
Nowadays, you grab that cup of coffee, head to your computer. The first thing you do is check your email account to see if there are any requests coming in for you to come in for an interview or forward additional information in another step up to getting an "in person" interview. Then you start pulling up all the job boards that you are registered on to see what is available
At this point, lets address that email account. When you sign up for all those job hunting websites, set yourself up one special email account to which you are going to direct all responses to and from potential employers. In this way, you are going to isolate and concentrate all your energies into your job search there will be nothing to distract you. Also be sure to check your spam folder carefully, you never know what could be in there by mistake. I say this because this is going to be another entry....about how a wonderful opportunity could have been overlooked if the Spam folder hadn't been checked carefully!
There are also newspapers on line who do not make you go through places like Indeed or The Monster Board, so be sure to check them out, not only in the city you are presently in but also in areas where you are interested in possibly moving to. Also by checking various newspapers, you can get a general feel for what is going on in that community. Checking their Chamber of Commerce website will also be beneficial. You may catch an article about a given company who is expanding or laying off., of new companies who are in the process of moving to the community.
Hopefully you have set up a way of tracking your job searches. Some people like to do a daily journal while others prefer a spread sheet record where they can see at a glance, who they applied to, the date and any contacts and followups. I personally like the idea of definitely using a spread sheet so that you don't let following up with various companies that you are really interested in, slip by the wayside. A journal is also useful as far as writing down your more personal thoughts about the companies, your personal outlook of each day and writing down your goals for either the day or for the week. Write down positive affirmations in your journal every day to help you stay on track and to maintain a positive attitude.
The goal should be to send out at least 10 new resumes each day, make 5 follow up phone calls with your networking group and to check your spread sheet to be sure you are not letting opportunities slip past you.
Just remember to treat the process of getting a job as if it IS your job. Put in the time and effort every day to look for work. It may not come quickly or easily, but eventually it is going to pay off.
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