Blog Post: Frustrated? I can feel your pain.

While I am now blessed to work for a company whose sole mission is to provide the opportunity for people to connect with local hiring managers, I too was a job seeker for quite some time before I landed here at Jobing.com a bit over two years ago. For me personally, it is a full circle moment that I can help to facilitate job seekers to find where they belong.

I am continually reminded of the fear, desperation, frustration and sheer hopelessness that job seekers sometimes feel. I have been there. Yep, I have sat in the floor of my living room (and bathroom and kitchen and bedroom and car) and cried because I couldn't "find" a job.

And for the family and spouse of the job seeker it can be even more of a struggle. It is easy for a job seeker to confuse offers of help and support as critcism and judgment when it comes from a family member. People in the job seeking role can be so overwhelmed with depression that even the tiniest of suggestions from those closest to them can seem like a personal attack. Yes, a touch hypersensitivity. However, reframing YOUR attitude can help.

Now, I am not, nor do I profess to be, a counselor, therapist or an -ologist of any kind. I do however know this much, letting negative and unproductive thoughts invade your mind will cause way more harm than any kind of good. Let's practice to keep things in perspective. The best way is to have a plan of action.

A good plan of action will help keep you on track. The best way to do this is to create a schedule. And stick to it. The call of the couch is strong. You must resist. Set up a work area within your home. A personal space devoted to your job seeking. If you don't have an office in your home, clear out a space in a corner. Set up a table and lamp and make it comfortable. Then go there every day. If you are a morning type (God bless you!) then report to your space every morning for a pre-set period of time to do your research, send resumes, follow up on ones you've sent and other duties like checking out company web sites.

If you are more of an evening type (my most productive time) then make sure you are ramping up your activities then. Point is this, know what time works best for you and then set your schedule around it. And keep that appointment with yourself to do your job seeking! Do not listen to the call of the fridge, couch, vaccuum or laundry. Don't pay attention to the remote control or the urge to just surf the 'net with no where to go. Stay focused for that pre-set time period. Laundry can wait.

I know all about being frustrated. But you don't have to be negative. I know all about being depressed over a job search. But you don't have to allow yourself to become aggressive as a result. Hang in there. Get focused. Set a schedule. Approach your search for a new job as if you were going to a job each day. And above all else, don't take your frustrations out on those closest to you. They are the ones who want to see you to succeed the most.