5 Ways to Stay Motivated in Your Job Search

From GovCentral by Tania Khadder

Sit in front of laptop. Lie on couch. Eat pickles for lunch. Back to laptop.



Feel sorry for self. Feel sick of self. Tear hair out in frustration. And ... back to couch.



If this is your 9-to-5 routine, you're probably like 14 million other
Americans: unemployed. And in addition to the frustration of looking
for work, you might find yourself feeling a little lonely.


Sure, you chat with friends online all day. And you may have a family
or significant other who comes home in the evening. But good old
fashioned, face-to-face contact with another human being before dinner?
Kind of rare these days.


In running my unemployment blog,
I've received plenty of emails from readers. And although many of them
were lighthearted in nature, a number of them were quite the opposite.
One of the saddest read: "You're the first person I've spoken to in
days."


Unemployment can make a recluse out of even the most social of
butterflies. After all, you want to spend as much time as possible
looking for work. And where do you look for work? Online. And where do
you go online? At home.


But spending too much time alone can be detrimental, not just to your
emotional well-being, but to your job search too! Staying connected
with the rest of the world is not a luxury. It's a necessity!


Work from a coffee shop.
Find a coffee shop with
WiFi in your neighborhood (even better if it's free WiFi!). Grab your
laptop and go. You may not be striking up conversations with fellow
coffee shop patrons, but it's nice to be in the presence of other human
beings. It's also nice to have a change of scenery; one that doesn't include Oprah on mute and swag from your previous employer.

Team up with other jobseekers.

Chances are, you know others who are unemployed. Instead of each
working alone in your respective homes, why not team up? Agree to meet
at someone's house, and look for jobs together. After all, misery loves
company. Not only will you have others to talk to who are in the same
situation, you might just find that your jobless friends make good
leads. You never know who might know of a job that isn't quite right
for them, but fits you perfectly.

Go to networking events.
Whatever your
industry, there are probably relevant networking or trade association
events taking place locally. Not only will you keep abreast of changes
in your field, you'll get to rub elbows with living, breathing, hiring
members of the work force. We all know that spending hours and hours
online every day is not the most efficient way to get hired. The
majority of jobseekers find work through a contact. You need to get out
there and network!

Get a (night) life!

Spending eight dollars on an Apple Martini may be the furthest thing
from your mind right now. And rightly so. But maintaining and growing
your social network (and we don't mean Facebook) can be a valuable part
of your job search. And you don't have to spend exorbitant amounts of
money (or borrow cash from friends) to go out. Especially right now,
there are plenty of extended happy hours and recession specials. Check
out sites like My Open Bar to find a local spot that's offering free (or seriously discounted) drinks tonight.

Volunteer

I've said this before and I'll say it again: You can't spend all day,
every day, looking for work. Volunteering a couple of days a week will
give you something else to do, a fresh perspective and a chance to
spend time with others who share your passion for a cause. And
depending on the type of volunteer work you choose, it may even help
keep your career on track (and your resumé strong). I know a laid-off
writer who started volunteering in the communications department of a
non-profit agency. She says it's keeping her busy, helping her develop
her writing skills, and preventing her from sticking her head in an
oven. Not bad for a dozen or so hours a week, which would have
otherwise been spent obsessively surfing the web.