Concentrating your attention to the four “Re’s” that you can influence is more likely to lead to a productive job search than vainly focusing on the Result.  In the last post, we discussed how to think about your Resumé, and today, we look at another critical factor determining your success: Resilience.

Looking for a job or changing careers can be a stressful or even a harrowing experience.  It can be tedious and discouraging. It can raise all sorts of negative emotions: fear you won’t find one; confusion about where to begin and what to do to surface opportunities (especially when the economy is under pressure and jobs are scarce); disappointment when you don’t get the call back or the offer; anger when you feel disrespected or ignored; pain when you feel rejected.

With dozens of people chasing few positions, it is critical to shore up your sense of self worth and cultivate your natural resilience in the face of the challenges you will inevitably face as part of the job search process.

So, how to build your Resilience muscles?

Take care of yourself physically.

Make sure you eat well, rest enough and exercise.  The times you are out for a run or a walk may be your most creative, idea-generating times. But, even if you don’t think of anything and just enjoy the endorphin rush, keeping physically active is the best way of ensuring you will bounce back after any job-related reversals and will be ready to pick up and move on the next day.

Draw on the support of friends and family.

It is easy to feel isolated and overwhelmed when looking for a new position especially if you are currently unemployed.  Remember you are not alone, and also remember that the people in your life accept and appreciate you for yourself and not for the position you hold.  Enjoy the increased time you may have with people who matter to you – once you are working again, you may not be able to have this advantage.

Deliberately choose to take a positive outlook.

You have a choice about how to look at your situation and how you present yourself.  Our own inner voice can be critical and harsh and can bring us down, but we do have veto power over its message and can override it with a more optimistic and compassionate mindset.  If you consciously reframe your situation and talk to yourself with kindness and encouragement, you will feel better and will come across to others in a more upbeat and attractive way.  Try it, and see what effect it has.

Do things for others.

Whether you get involved in a high-commitment volunteering activity or help others out in small ways, you will find your actions are creating value.  You may not get paid in monetary terms, but the sense of satisfaction and goodwill generated by keeping active and contributing to others will reap psychological, and possibly even practical, rewards.  Being generous with your time and energy builds resiliency because it allows you to think of others and to be your best self, which is just who you need to be to attract opportunities.

Take your resilience program seriously.

Be sure to schedule time each day for this “Re” as a critical component of your job search, and the Result you are after will surely follow.

Fredia Woolf, Principal of Woolf Consulting, is a leadership and change management consultant.  Fredia works with clients to build their capacity to manage career and organizational transitions, and to accelerate the accomplishment of positive results.  She dreams about organizations with wise leaders and engaged people having a positive impact on the world – and in the meantime, blogs about careers, leadership challenges and workplace survival strategies.

She can be reached at fwoolf@woolfconsulting.com.

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Last updated on December 17th, 2009 at 08:52 am