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To make a good first impression on employers, you need to present yourself in a positive and engaging way.
This can be hard when you’re feeling stressed about getting the job. Especially if you've had a few knock-backs.
How can you remain positive during your job search?
There are ways to balance looking for work with taking care of yourself:
1. Include some practical activities in your job search strategy
- Submitting applications online and getting email rejections can leave you feeling disconnected from the real world of work.
- To help you feel more engaged, consider doing work experience or volunteering with a community group. This has the added benefit of building your work experience so you are more competitive for jobs.
- Remember to add this to your resume. All work experience counts as work, regardless of whether you were paid.
2. Have realistic goals
- Make a note of your short, medium and longer term goals. Use your goals to stay motivated. For more information, check out our article Identify your goals.
- If you haven’t been able to land your perfect job, you may need to consider other options. You could try finding an entry-level job in your chosen industry and working your way up.
3. Use employer feedback to improve your job search
- Use any feedback you get from employers to keep improving your approach.
- Reflect on the questions the employer asked you at the interview. Practice your response to these questions in preparation for your next interview. You can also practise common interview questions so you feel more confident next time.
- Remember, it’s normal to feel disappointed when your job application is unsuccessful. But learning from these experiences will make you a stronger candidate next time. A knock back doesn't mean you go back to square one. With every application you are tweaking and improving your pitch to employers and becoming more confident talking about yourself.
4. Take care of yourself
- Looking for a job can feel all-consuming. Take regular breaks to do things you enjoy. Catch up with friends, get out into nature or do other things that make you happy.
- Balancing looking for work with doing other enjoyable activities will help you maintain your positivity and motivation.
Check out our How to be competitive for jobs videos for more tips on how to get the jobs you want.
