Conducting a job search is often fraught with disappointing results and devastating feedback. It can begin with hopeful optimism and end up in discouragement. One can very quickly succumb to the emotional effects of these results. You can begin to feel that perhaps you did not deserve the job you sought or, in some cases, the one you are now in or just lost. These reactions can lead to a state of hopelessness, even depression. This can also affect those close to you which could lead you even further down the path to defeatism. Obviously, the most important element in this entire transformation is you.
For others, perhaps the truly confident individual, the aforementioned pitfalls simple serve to embolden you further and you forge ahead even harder with a "never say die" attitude. You see the rejection as a loss to the potential employer, not your loss. Instead of becoming defeated you become more aggressive or even angry with an "I am going to show them!" objective. You are determined to let nothing get in the way of getting what you want.
Consider this; if doing the same things again and again and gaining little result except more disappointment or anger; how does this either help you regain your confidence or show the world you really are worth everything you know yourself to be? There are a massive number of motivational or emboldening phrases that you can turn to for self justification in your further repetition of efforts to find a job or the opportunity you deserve.
Assess your skills and worth with objectivity. Get insights from former and current co-workers about the contributions you have made. You may be pleased and surprised by the feedback you get. Everything we do in our roles impacts those with whom we work. Create a list of your positive attributes, accomplishments and goals. Nobody knows you better than yourself but first you need to ask yourself. Sounds silly, but it works. Take out a pad of paper and interview yourself, Ask yourself the tough questions first. You will come up with not only a great idea of what others see in you, but also what you have to offer a potential employer.
The rub is: uplifting chicken soup for the unemployed or opportunity seeker does not create offers. The unfortunate truth for nearly all job seekers is that there really isn't anything new or effective being made available. This makes many feel that they are stuck with the common wisdom of perpetually sending resumes and making fruitless phone calls. Where then is the answer?
The answer lies in you. Only you can be honest with yourself. Only you can take a step back and see that what you have done and will continue to do is not working. Whether you press on with a sense of fear or force does not change the fact that the resume game is a losing one. Everyone distrusts resume content. No one likes to read them, especially from a pile of hundreds of resumes. In my thirty years of talent acquisition, I have yet to see a resume worth the paper it is written on, particularly in terms of portraying a person's abilities to perform in a position, excel at solving problems or fit into an organizations culture. Only you can do that.
Pursuing a better opportunity or re-employment is more often very disappointing and frustrating. It can be a process yielding few results and the frustrations of "hurry up and wait". There is no need whatsoever for this to be your experience.
