Long-time Unemployment - Tips to Stay Motivated

Being unemployed for an extended period of time can be quite disheartening and at times, make you feel downright useless.  This feeling of lacking success within your working life is typical among most Australians when faced with unemployment.   During September this year, the number of persons looking for full-time work increased by 9,500 to 497,400 and the number of persons looking for part-time work decreased by 13,300 to 161,200*.  There was a slight improvement in the unemployment rate bringing the figure down to 5.7% – a 0.1% decrease!  However, regardless of these figures, individuals seeking work should try to remain as confident as possible – even if this proves trying at times.   *Data gathered from ABS, under ‘September Key Figures’  

So at this point in the article, you’re most likely wondering how on earth you can help yourself or someone close to you who’s been out of work for a while find something, right?  To be honest, there really isn’t much you can do in terms of applying for roles.  But what you can do is sort your head out. 

There are two methods for helping you persevere:

a)      Maintain a positive outlook and have a plan organised, which should be filled with personal goals that you’re willing to dedicate yourself to.  It can be very difficult staying energetic and positive.  But put it this way, staying negative can not only hurt your job search but also your interview if you’re successful in meeting with an employer.  Staying positive will usually show in your interviews – so make sure you let your fun and happy disposition show. 

b)      Look after your mental health. Get on top of your physical and social health.  After being unsuccessful for a long period of time, the mind tends to shut down.  Your mental health will be struggling.  You could suffer from depression, your self-esteem may lower and all this could lead to making ill-informed and erratic decisions about important life choices.  The best way to tackle this is to preoccupy yourself with other things.  Like most problems in life, we need to distract ourselves from the negative sources and focus on something that can provide other alternatives to personal success.  You don’t need this article to tell you that.  Get in touch with your interests.  Make time for you and put yourself first. 

Researchers in America, at the University of Missouri, recently conducted a study on 300+ job seekers and found that; developing and following a plan at the start of your job search, and having positive emotions later in the job search, had a significant impact on success.  So there you have it.  Having small goals or plans isn’t being too organised.  As individuals we must continue to aspire to greater things.