Tip #13: Building confidence when you feel unmotivated
Transform your job search with 20 Job Search Tips in 20 Days
This email is part of a series “20 Job Search Tips in 20 Days”. Every day in December, you’ll receive a job search tip for career changers.
Job Search Tip #13: Building confidence when you feel unmotivated
Motivation can come and go as you move through the job search. Some days you’re feeling ready and excited, while others you may be full of self-doubt. The good news is that there are ways you can build your confidence even during times when you’re not feeling very motivated.
Motivation is important to the job search because it provides a ‘reason’ for your job search. While the reasons to feel motivated are different for people, they tend to fall into a few categories:
more money
more freedom
both more money and more freedom
There are times when motivation gets overshadowed by rejection and hopelessness. In those times, you can rely on your confidence in yourself. That means leaning on your inherent sense of self-worth instead of relying on external factors outside of your control.
Many factors are within your control. They include showing up to send in your applications, contacting people for networking, and doing connection calls. Everything outside of these activities are external factors that are OUTSIDE of your control.
Building your confidence is a process, not a destination. First, acknowledge what you can control and what you can’t. Then, choose a few activities that bring you joy and add them to your weekly routine. These activities can be ANYTHING. The more you experience joy, the easier it will be to build confidence in general.
Sample activities to build confidence:
Fitness training
Cooking
Taking a walk
Reconnecting with friends
Writing a list of your accomplishments
When you’re job searching, the confidence you feel by practicing hobbies will carry over into your job search. Even if you lose motivation in the job search, you can build your sense of confidence every week.
The more confident you feel, the more resilient you are towards rejection, helping you continue to show up in the job search.
To everyone job searching during the holidays… you got this, keep going 🌟
If you missed them, here are 3 previous tips: