1. Recognize if you are in a slump

The first step to getting out of the doldrums is to recognize that you are indeed in a slump. If you are suffering from the jobseeker blues take the time out to re-energize and seek the focus, strength and inner peace you need to pursue your job search and get ahead with your career. Talk to people you trust and seek professional help if you need it.

2. Organize your day

Even if you are out of a job, structure your day with the same discipline as you would a work day. Lounging about the house being unproductive will not further your job search and will only feed your inertia and panic at being unemployed. Treat your job search as u would a full time job and approach it with the same vigor, organizational skills and discipline as you would a work day. Build into your day a multitude of tasks that will further your job search including networking activities, research activities, training activities, visits with your mentor, cold calls etc. Don’t forget to document the results and make sure you stay on top of the follow-up. By organizing your week days in this strict disciplined manner you will maintain a feeling of control over the job search and lose the panic many jobseekers feel which is often directly attributed to the feeling of helplessness and loss of control over the course their life is taking.

3. Build a support network around you

Don’t let negative types discourage or distract you from your job search. Instead, observe and learn from successful, happy professionals who are where you would like to be and enlist their support in getting there. Seek to surround yourself with encouraging upbeat people who will inspire and motivate you rather than bring you down. Enthusiasm is contagious and the more keen and confident those around you are, the more confident you will be in your strengths, abilities and marketability.

4. Stay motivated

Learn from the success stories of others and the advice of motivational experts how to stay motivated. Read motivational books and autobiographies from those who have made it in the industry or line of business you are targeting or those whose lives and successes have inspired you and motivated you to accomplish and succeed in the past. There are many best-selling highly effective motivational books that come with audiotapes and you can build into your daily routine listening to them even as you drive or engage in other important tasks.

5. Remind yourself of your past accomplishments

Often, it is easy to lose all confidence in yourself if your job search is extending itself indefinitely and there are no positive outcomes in sight. Whenever you think you have reached a dead end and your confidence in your abilities is waning, remind yourself of past successes even as you re-energize and rethink the strategy for your job search. Picture your last major success and remind yourself of how you got there and the feeling of euphoria that comes with a major accomplishment, then visualize yourself repeating that success in your new endeavors and outline a roadmap for getting there. You may want to keep a photo of yourself after that last accomplishment prominently displayed or on you at all times to remind yourself constantly of your capabilities.

6. Learn a new skill

Use this time in between jobs to learn a new skill. You may want to attend a course or read books that deal specifically with certain aspects of the job search such as interviewing skills, writing a CV, networking; or you may want to work on other areas you would like to develop whether it be confidence building, public speaking, sales, managing a team, getting along with peers, maintaining a work/life balance or just succeeding in life in general. You may also have technical skills related to your chosen industry that you need to fine-tune or have always wanted to acquire; use this time in between jobs to gain these skills and include them on your CV once you have.

7. Reward yourself for achieving short term goals

Don’t dwell on the downside. Set realistic short-term goals that advance your long-term objectives and on a daily basis revisit and reward yourself for your positive accomplishments for the day. These goals may include a specific number of CVs sent out, interviews gained, cold calls made, new skills acquired, professional books completed etc. Make sure your goals are reasonable and focus on achieving them one goal at a time.

8. Do some volunteer work

Volunteering is one way to feel more useful, widen your all-important networking circle and in some cases, beef up your CV. You will enjoy the learning that comes with a new activity as well as the immense sense of satisfaction that comes with helping others if you are involved in charitable works.

9. Count your blessings

No matter how strenuous and uphill the job search may be remember your blessings in other areas of your life and be thankful. Keep things in perspective at all times and don’t lose sight of your successes and accomplishments.

10. Don’t lose balance

Include exercise and relaxation in your weekly schedule as well as other means to expend positive energy, let off steam and indulge in activities you enjoy. Whether it’s a daily 30 minute walk around the block, an hour of power yoga, cycling with the kids after school or an hour looking after the daffodils and hydrangea in the kitchen garden, don’t lose sight of the activities that you enjoy best and that maintain a critical balance in your life.

(This article was posted in bayt.com)

For most of us, there are times when our work life can be tiring, hectic, frustrating, and stressful. But we all tend to give our best to come out good in a tough job. However to be successful in the job that we work, to handle the pressure, we all require a good state of mind and a healthy physique.
It is important that you feel good in the workplace in order to achieve the best you can. Studies and research reveal that you will feel well, if you are eating healthy, exercising regularly and not building up pressure inside you. Your state of mind is a key element in wellness. A happy, balanced mind leads to a healthy body. You can blossom in your career only when you feel good and with passion and energy you can make your career as satisfying as ever.
So, how can you feel good at work?

Positive Attitude

Positive attitude is the best attribute that successful career minded people have, and can make a lot of difference in the work place. This simply can be referred to as a co-worker who believes that you care about the work and are someone who they can rely on. Your attitude not only affects your performance in the work place but also your co-workers. Your positive attitude can have a powerful influence on others around you and contribute to good relationships, better communication, excellent team work, high morale, improve productivity. You will enjoy your work and in turn attain your goals quickly.

Control Your Emotion

Emotion is a normal feeling but anger is the most painful emotion. You cannot feel good when you are angry, decide to free yourself from such thoughts. This can be done by forgetting and forgiving others. Anger is a negative energy that will suppress you but by freeing up your mind and filling up with lot of positive energy, you will feel better, refreshed and be more productive in what you do. 

Stop Blaming

Often we blame each other. There is a quote “when you point a finger there are three fingers pointing back at you”, if something goes wrong we immediately start to blame others. It is always difficult to accept being wrong. But remember accepting the mistake and taking full responsibility, you are actively trying to improve the situation in a healthy way. Do not blame others, try to accept and start to learn from the situation. By doing this, you can make progress and move forward in your career.

Strong Beliefs

Your beliefs make you strong. Imagine the kind of career you aspire for. Expand your belief as you build the career you dream of. Do not heed to what others have to say. If you do not believe that you can reach higher positions in your career, then you are unlikely to achieve it. Keep in mind that you are capable of overcoming any obstacles. Hold on to your aspirations and be flexible. Intensively believe you can do it, strong positive beliefs will lead you to success. Focus on what you want rather than what you don’t want.

Right Choices

You will have a variety of choices in your career. Few will take you to the top and others will put you on the back foot. You do not intentionally make a wrong choice but the outcome of the choice at that time may not be as you expected. It is when you start to question choices that are bad for you, that you provide yourself with the opportunity to learn in order to make the right choices in the future. 

Change Your Job

Most of you stay in your jobs until you retire because either you are happy with what you are doing or unaware of the next step. If you think that your current job drains away all your energy and enthusiasm and if you are not happy with your job after you have given your best, it is time for a change in your job. After all it is your life, you must do what you love the most and lead a happier life!

The recession may be over, but the job market recovery is lagging way behind. And experts say the situation may get worse before it gets better.

“In the aftermath of recessions, there’s always a period of jobless recovery,” says John Challenger, CEO of global outplacement firm Challenger Gray & Christmas. “We’re certainly not optimistic about seeing much improvement in the unemployment rate in 2010.”

Moody’s Economy.com forecasts that payroll employment will continue to decline until the middle of 2010, says Sophia Koropeckyj, managing director of Moody’s Economy.com. Then it will start slowly improving, ending the year “slightly higher than where we are now.” Unemployment is expected to continue rising, topping out at 10.7 percent in the third quarter of next year.

Some industries will likely pick up faster than others. Koropeckyj says industries such as construction and manufacturing will probably begin to hire sooner. Retail, tourism, and hospitality, which depend entirely on consumer spending, will probably be among the last to recover.

It’s important to remember that even when the overall number of jobs goes down, some companies are still adding workers — it’s just that others are cutting even more.

“There are always jobs,” Challenger says. “Companies are always hiring. But the competition is much tougher.”

Experts offer advice for surviving — and thriving — in the next year:

If You’re Still Employed:

This might not be a good time to move to a new job. If your job seems unstable or you’re offered your dream job, it may be worth it. But if you go to a new company and the company realizes it was overly optimistic about hiring, you could be let go — into the worst job market in decades.

It may be better to make the most of this next year where you are. “Figure out how to do a better job,” says Valerie Frederickson, founder and CEO of Menlo Park, California-based Valerie Frederickson & Co., a human resource executive search and consulting firm. Can you get assigned to a team working on a hot new project, or volunteer for a task that will give you new, marketable skills? “What’s going to be the next wave?”

If You’re Unemployed:

If you have been out of work for a long time, it may be time to consider taking a job you wouldn’t have looked at before.

This will bring in some money and help you make connections, Frederickson says. It can also help you polish skills that you can lose while out of work: “being fast, multitasking, answering questions quickly and succinctly.”

There are two concerns about taking a so-called survival job. It could distract you from your job search, and potential employers may have trouble envisioning you in your previous professional role.

These concerns are real, but there are ways around them. For example, you can use your survival job to show employers that you’re willing to work hard. And you can continue your job search after work.

“The longer people sit out of the job market, the harder it’s going to be for them to re-enter,” Frederickson says.

Just because the job market is tough doesn’t mean it’s impossible. “You have to work harder at the job search,” Challenger said.

(This article was posted in yahoo)