Written by Joanne Sacco

6 Ways To Stay Motivated During Your IT Job Search

Another day. Another rejection email.
If this sums up your IT job search, your motivation stores are probably at an all-time low. But fear not. Here’s 6 tips that will help you restore your energy levels and ensure you remain firmly in the job-hunting game.

1. Set Realistic Daily Tasks

When you’re out of work, it’s easy to forgo your daily routine. With no set time to present for work, the days can turn into a haphazard mess where you feel as if you’ve accomplished nothing.
Take back control by creating structure. Make a list of tasks to attend to each day, ensuring they are realistic, thus achievable. For example, instead of blindly applying for as many jobs as possible, give yourself a daily quota of two or three. You can then focus your energy on tailoring your cover letter and resume to the specific role, thereby boosting your chances of scoring an interview.
Other daily tasks could be:

1. Expanding your network

Connecting with a certain number of recruiters/peers/former colleagues per day.

2. Attending to your ‘top companies to work for’ list

Create a list of companies you love and then research one each day. Be active in your research by following them on LinkedIn, liking and/or commenting on their content etc. You’d be amazed what opportunities this activity might reveal.

3. Refine and practise your elevator pitch

In interviews, you’ll inevitably be asked a version of ‘tell me about yourself’. Your answer should be a concise description of your key qualifications, strengths, skills, your unique selling point, why you want the role and what you can offer the company – all in under 30 seconds if possible! This obviously takes some time and practise, and that’s why it’s such a useful task for your daily list.

2. Take The Financial Load Off

A loss of income is stressful enough in itself, but creating a budget (and sticking to it!) can relieve it.
By putting the numbers down on paper, you’ll know exactly how much you have to work with. This helps you regulate your spending and avoid burning through your savings. You can then put the mental energy you’d invest in worrying about money into your job search instead.

3. Invest In Some Positivity

The merits of positive thinking are well documented, especially when it comes to looking for a new role. If you feel positive, you will act positively, which is imperative in an interview situation.
There are small things you can do throughout your day to get yourself into a positive mindset. It might be indulging in some laugh-worthy online videos, getting the endorphins flowing with a bit of exercise, or connecting with a good friend. This article covers a number of other things you can try to help you stay positive before and after interviews.

4. Find Career Role Models

A great way to motivate yourself is to seek out those already working at companies you like or in roles you desire. Uncover their stories – what makes them tick? How did they get to where they are now?
You can also connect with them via LinkedIn. If you’re feeling particularly bold, ask them for their advice about securing a role in the area.
An IT recruitment consultant can also be a wonderful source of advice. They have a mountain of information and tips about resume tweaking, interviews and enhancing your online presence, as well as key industry insights and connections. They are an extremely valuable tool in your job hunt toolkit.

5. Give Yourself A Confidence Boost

Some days the frustration of the job search gets you down, and a confidence boost is in order. This is where your career highlights reel helps.
Take some time to list the things you’re most proud of in your career so far – the things you’ve learnt; the tricky problems you’ve solved; the unique skills you possess. Reflect back on what you’ve accomplished and your self-esteem will get the kick it needs.

6. Take A Break

Looking for a job can become all-encompassing and energy sapping. To be at your job hunting best, take some time away from it. It might be a day each week devoted to the things you love to do. Or it could be putting limits on your daily search, for instance, just 9am – 12pm.
Aim to incorporate some reward-time as you do your daily job search tasks too. As an example, after you’ve applied for each role in your three-job-applications-per-day quota, treat yourself to 30 minutes of you-time, whether that’s listening to a great podcast, going for a walk or run, or enjoying some coding time on your pet project.

Let Us Know If We Can Help

We hope these six tips help get your job-hunting mojo back. If we can support you further in any way during your IT job search, please let us know.

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