“I’m discouraged. I’ve been out of work for 6 months with very few interviews over that time span. How can I keep myself motivated?“
The majority of advice from the networking group was not to focus on a job search 24/7. If phone calls are not being returned and/or people are curt because they’re short on time, your day can be downright depressing.
Candidates who are emotionally “healthy” find a balance between looking for a job and doing “something else”. For some candidates it means getting involved in a not-for-profit. One individual talked about how he was named the project manager for his Habitat for Humanity team and how good that recognition made him feel; other candidates taught at the college level. Most major cities have universities and colleges which offer continuing education courses. They love to hire adjuncts with real-time work experience.
One participant in our “Coffee & Conversation” networking group discussed how she was selected to teach an 8-week course in her area of expertise. She had to write the syllabus, select the reading material, get interesting speakers and devise a final project. She said it was a lot of work but it was very rewarding. Several candidates said they looked for consulting opportunities. This route wasn’t that easy, because it involved “selling”—either selling their practice or selling to another consulting firm to sign them up as a contract consultant. In addition, if they were engaged in a consulting assignment, they had to remember not to get too caught up in the project and to continue to devote time to their job search.