Fight the five bullies of the job market and find work

 Discouragement – If you thought unemployment was your worst enemy, think again.  Become a knight, fighting discouragement at every turn until you reach the success of finding a job.  Dismiss every discouraging thought as it begins to form in your mind.  No, your attitude isn’t a magic wand or a Genie in a bottle blinking a job before your eyes with dramatic smoke effects, but it can leave you feeling too beat down to try again.  Fight feelings of discouragement while it’s still fairly manageable. Don’t let discouragement take root in your attitude because then it turns into depression. Loneliness –You don’t have to embrace the philosophy behind “It takes a village” to understand that networking works in cyber space and face to face.  A true friend should be good for more than just hanging out with on the weekends for entertainment.  Even if your friends don’t know anyone directly who is hiring, many people who are currently in successful professional positions got there because a friend knew a friend who knew a friend who knew a family member and put in a good word.  Don’t be afraid to introduce yourself to others.Exhaustion – You feel like you’re sleepwalking through interviews and begin to tell yourself, “It’s too much work to find work”.  Don’t give up now. A job will most likely not fall out of the sky to land in your lap unless you put in some effort toward landing one.  Yes, looking for a job in tough economic times becomes a full-time job without pay in and of itself and it doesn’t happen like magic, all at once.  Take it one step at a time and celebrate even the smallest of successes and hope.View the list »
Fight the five bullies of the job market.

Unemployment newsletter

From St. Louis, the midwest and out toward the beaches and shorelines of the east and west coasts, jobs are hard to find and hard to keep. The tough economy and poor job market are not the only obstacles in finding work that pays enough to make a living. There are five attitudes or emotions that shove their way into your job hunt and appear like bullies stealing your milk money and leaving you for mockery.

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You have been looking for work, and doors of opportunity keep slamming in your face or they are never even opened to begin with. You’ve given up looking for a career and will settle for a less-than-minimum-wage job, or you’ve just plain given up. It’s time to fight the five bullies of the job market and find work.

Finding a job in a sinking economy is a challenge to say the least. New college graduates looking for work are competing with seasoned, well-trained and experienced workers who have been laid off. Both become discouraged quickly and many give up and add depression to their unemployed status. Don’t succumb to the pressure.

Following are five common bullies that hold you down:

  1. Exhaustion
  2. Loneliness
  3. Discouragement
  4. Depression
  5. Pride

Find out more about each of these job market bullies and how to overcome them by clicking through this list below.

View the list
  • Exhaustion – You feel like you’re sleepwalking through interviews and begin to tell yourself, “It’s too much work to find work”.  Don’t give up now. A job will most likely not fall out of the sky to land in your lap unless you put in some effort toward landing one.  Yes, looking for a job in tough economic times becomes a full-time job without pay in and of itself and it doesn’t happen like magic, all at once.  Take it one step at a time and celebrate even the smallest of successes and hope.
  •  Loneliness –You don’t have to embrace the philosophy behind “It takes a village” to understand that networking works in cyber space and face to face.  A true friend should be good for more than just hanging out with on the weekends for entertainment.  Even if your friends don’t know anyone directly who is hiring, many people who are currently in successful professional positions got there because a friend knew a friend who knew a friend who knew a family member and put in a good word.  Don’t be afraid to introduce yourself to others.
  •  Discouragement – If you thought unemployment was your worst enemy, think again.  Become a knight, fighting discouragement at every turn until you reach the success of finding a job.  Dismiss every discouraging thought as it begins to form in your mind.  No, your attitude isn’t a magic wand or a Genie in a bottle blinking a job before your eyes with dramatic smoke effects, but it can leave you feeling too beat down to try again.  Fight feelings of discouragement while it’s still fairly manageable. Don’t let discouragement take root in your attitude because then it turns into depression.
  •  Depression – Use every bit of energy you have to keep depression at bay.  Once you sink into depression, it feels like you’ve fallen into a dark pit of despair and any hope of the light is dimmed.  Ironically, often the thoughts that led to your depression are not even rooted in truth and tarnish your true potential with a mirky reflection of who you really are.  It takes more than a happy pep talk to climb out.  Depression creates more discouragement and, quite often, causes isolation and more loneliness and is exhausting to combat once it takes hold.  Not only that, depression is a seemingly endless downward spiral.  Counseling and even prescriptions to help with depression will end up costing money you don’t have.  If you have already become depressed in your job search, seek help now.
  •  Pride - Keep your goal on finding work to pay the bills but know when it’s time to ask for outside help.  Not being able to afford your rent or to buy groceries for another month takes its toll, and there comes a point where you just plain need help.  Your help may be in the form of a friend or family member allowing you to stay at their place till you get back on your feet or someone bringing you meals or groceries for a few weeks, or you may find short-term help at a local food pantry or an unemployment check.  Don’t be too proud to ask for help in “pulling up your bootstraps” and finding encouragement and a meal along your journey.
View the list

, St. Louis Job Search Examiner

After receiving her degree in Human Resource Management from Lindenwood, co-owning a family business and working in every area of the St. Louis city from downtown to Clayton, Westport and St. Charles County, Tere Scott knows the St. Louis job market from more than one vantage point. Contact her...

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