If you are like most people, you’ve had some job seeking starts…..and some stops. It’s common to get that initial burst of motivation and then in the normal course of living your life you fall back into routines and bad habits.

ALWAYS PLAY TO YOUR STRENGTHS

Apply for jobs where you feel strongly that your skills, backgrounds, talents and accomplishments are a match. The more relevant your strengths are to the job you are applying the more likely you will be rewarded with a job offer.

DON’T LET MIND GAMES SABOTAGE YOUR JOB SEARCH

Self sabotaging stinking thinking comes in the form of those mind games we play with ourselves if we are not immediately successful. Keep your confidence level high and remain focused on the goal but DON’T EVER sabotage yourself with negative self talk. Remind yourself of the skills and talents and accomplishments you earned over a life of hard work and committment. THAT is what defines you, not the one unsuccessful time you didn’t get the job you really wanted.

TAKE A DEEP BREATH AND REVIEW YOUR STRATEGY

If you have been looking for a job for a while, don’t hesitate to step back and revisit your job seeking strategy. What is working? What are the things you are doing that are not moving your job search forward? Take a deep breath and ask a trusted friend or mentor to review your resumes and cover letters. Ask them to give you an honest assessment of your job-search strategy.

CHANGE THE PACE

Instead of sending out dozens of resumes to random job postings, slow down a bit and spend more time on quality resumes and cover letters that are tailored to your strengths. Add some variety to your job search efforts like cold-calling companies, networking with peers or reaching out to folks on LinkedIn. There’s a lot of different and effective ways that can help strengthen your job search and connect you to your next opportunity.