8 Tips for Battling Job Search Fatigue

Rachel Farrell, Special to CareerBuilder.com

Job searching for any length of time can be frustrating. But when your search has gone on for months or even years, even job seekers with the most endurance can get tired.

It doesn't help that many job seekers are looking for work under the notion that the recovering economy means automatic work -- and now.

"The economy is on the rebound but the job market is still very slow to respond," says Caroline Dowd-Higgins, director of career and professional development at Indiana University Maurer School of Law and author of "This is Not the Career I Ordered." "Candidates should be cautiously optimistic."

But sanguinity in times of dejection is easier said than done. Job searching for long periods of time can not only make job seekers tired -- it can affect them emotionally, too.

"There are so many emotions that go along with long-term unemployment -- feelings of inadequacy, anger, terror, shame. You name it. And when these emotions get a lock on a job seeker, they can be nearly paralyzing -- or totally paralyzing," says Jenny Foss, owner of Ladder Recruiting Group.

To manage those emotions, you need to acknowledge that your search methods aren't working and commit to adopting a new strategy or plan, Foss says. And it's important to tap into your resiliency skills so employers know you can handle stress and change, adds Dowd-Higgins.

But part of the problem is that even after long-term unemployment, many people still rely on the passive search methods that used to work well -- but just don't anymore, says Foss.

"The game has changed dramatically in the past few years. Unfortunately, a large number of job seekers who find themselves suddenly on the market often panic," Foss says. "They don't take time to catch their breath, craft a job search strategy that leverages a variety of search and networking tools, and then execute on that strategy in a focused, systematic way."

Tried and true methods of simply applying to jobs online, searching through job boards or even enlisting a recruiter just won't cut it, especially after a long period of job searching. You simply cannot conduct an effective job search from behind your computer, says Dowd-Higgins.

"You must get out and be seen and heard in your job search. People hire whom they know and trust and employers are using their network more than ever to make new," she says. "When jobs do become available, employers are hesitant to post because they know they will be inundated with applications. The networking job search continues to be the most effective technique."

If you're looking to revitalize your job search, here are eight tips from Foss and Dowd-Higgins.

1. Consider your job search a full-time job.

2. Catch your breath. Calm down before you scramble to find a new plan, says Foss.

3. Know what your strengths are. "Develop your special sauce story so you can illustrate why you are a value-add to an organization," says Dowd-Higgins.

4. Focus on your competencies not just job titles.

5. Polish your interview and storytelling abilities. "A great interview is a fluid conversation -- not stock answers," says Dowd-Higgins.

6. Explore social media techniques for job search like Facebook, Twitter, a personal blog and Linkedin.

7. Craft a formal game plan. "Don't flail your way through every day. Have a plan, and a schedule for each day," says Foss.

8. Stop playing the blame game. "I can't find a job because I'm too old, I'm too fat, I'm under qualified, I'm over qualified," says Foss. "Really? You can play this game all you want, but at the end of the day? Figure out what is not working and then craft a strategy around it. If you can't find your way in through the front door, find the side door. It's all about being creative and strategic today."

Do You Know the Most Important Part of a Résumé?

It's All about the Summary

Beth Braccio Hering, Special to CareerBuilder

A tough job market means piles of applications for open positions, so it is no surprise that hiring managers are looking for ways to screen candidates quickly.

"Recruiters typically devote only 10-15 seconds to read any résumé," says Wil Lemire, director of career services at Western New England College in Springfield, Mass. To make that precious time count, job seekers need to create concise, attention-grabbing profiles that make employers want to know more.

Things to include

"Some people refer to the professional summary as the résumé equivalent of a 30-second sales pitch or an elevator speech," says Carolyn Yencharis Corcoran, assistant director of the Insalaco Center for Career Development at Misericordia University in Dallas, Pa. "We recommend that our students take great care in writing this area, as it is yet another way for them to demonstrate their ability to communicate pointedly and efficiently and to exude professionalism by using industry-specific keywords in the proper context."

Experts generally favor the profile being placed right under contact information at the top of a résumé. (This well-crafted skills summary also can prove useful as a networking intro or as part of an online profile.) Among the items candidates may wish to include are:

• Keywords that match those of the job description


• Hard skills (professional and technical experience)


• Soft skills (personal attributes)


• Advanced degrees


• Years of experience


• Interesting achievements


• Anything that sets one apart from other candidates

"Like any other section of your résumé, the professional summary requires some self-reflection, time and attention," Corcoran says. To get the creative juices flowing, she suggests:

• Asking co-workers, family members, professors and friends what qualities they like most about you.


• Thinking about positive comments you've received from employers or teachers.


• Reflecting on awards received.


• Remembering instances where you handled an emergency, presented or taught something, made something more efficient or contributed to a change.

Things to avoid

Cynthia Favre, director of career management at Gustavus Adolphus College in Saint Peter, Minn.,offers this precaution when creating a summary: "Don't include things that most everyone can do (such as use the Internet or Word). It actually makes the candidate look like he doesn't have useful skills."

Favre also cautions against using vague adjectives, such as "excellent" and "great." "Such words encourage the reader to compare the candidate with others. Take the phrase 'an excellent communicator.' Compared to whom? Barack Obama? Your college roommate? It is better to state the skills as factually as possible and let the reader determine if they are excellent and of value to him."

Putting your best self forward

While seasoned workers can use their skills summary to describe past job accomplishments, novice job seekers often worry that they will appear lacking. While it is inevitable that different candidates will bring different attributes to the table, the main thing is to focus on what you can contribute.

"It's important that the job seeker know what the job requirements are in order to properly sort and rank his own knowledge, skills and abilities," Lemire says. "Recent graduates should use skills and knowledge gained from part-time and summer jobs, internships, classroom projects and activities on and off campus."

Corcoran agrees that it is up to each individual to identify and present her own strengths. "While a seasoned worker will have more hands-on experience to include in a professional summary, new grads will want to highlight the things that set them apart -- such as possessing skills in the newest and latest technology, energy and drive, openness to multiple areas and an eagerness to learn."

Remember that whether this is your first job or your tenth, you only have a bit of space to get yourself noticed. Choose your words carefully, and chances are an employer will want to hear more.

Beth Braccio Hering researches and writes about job search strategy, career management, hiring trends and workplace issues for CareerBuilder.com. Follow @CBForJobSeekers on Twitter.

Shake the Job Search Blues

Kaitlin Madden, CareerBuilder writer

In both his books and speeches, Donald Trump often mentions a story that his father told him when he was a child that goes something like this: There once was an entrepreneur who started a soda company called Three Up. Despite the man's passion for his company, though, Three Up eventually went under. Undeterred, the entrepreneur started another cola company called Four Up, which also went bankrupt. He persisted on, but after Five Up and Six Up failed as well, the man was tired of struggling and gave up. A short time later another company came along and invented 7 Up, which was wildly successful. The point of the story, according to Trump, is that if the man hadn't quit, he would have created 7 Up.

If you're a job seeker, you can probably relate to the entrepreneur in the story. It may seem hard to stay motivated in the face of rejection and success can seem elusive -- you might even feel like giving up on your job search or settling for a job you don't really like. But, if you quit when the going gets tough, you may miss out on the opportunity of a lifetime -- like the entrepreneur did.

The job search blues can certainly be tough to conquer -- but it can be done. Here's how to get through the tough times in a job search.

Pay attention to your thoughts

"Listen to the things you say to yourself about your job, your abilities and your chances of achieving your career goals," says Colette Ellis, founder of leadership consulting firm InStep Consulting and author of the e-book "Focus on your vision."

If you realize that your "self-talk" is predominately negative, make an effort to change it any time a negative thought pops into your head. "When you hear your negative messages and begin to feel badly, say 'stop!' and replace the thought or message with a more positive statement," Ellis says.

Dave Sanford, an executive vice president at recruiting firm Winter, Wyman, agrees: "You can't force hiring decisions to go your way. But you can control your reaction to the circumstances. Allow yourself that healthy moment of disappointment and then pick yourself up and dust yourself off. This will help you move on a lot more quickly, which is imperative to your search," he says.

Set goals

Let's face it: The modern job search can be a long and tedious process -- but that doesn't mean it can't also be rewarding. Set smaller goals throughout your job search to keep you focused and give you a sense of achievement.

"As part of your job search, you will certainly have set goals for yourself, [like] the number of networking meetings you will have each week, how many résumés you will send out per day and the [number of] hours you will dedicate to researching opportunities," Sanford says. "Feel good about completing your objectives and find ways to celebrate your accomplishments."

Be careful not to be too hard on yourself when setting goals, though. When outlining your job search goals, don't limit yourself to an overly-stringent time deadline for getting a job. "It may feel proactive to say 'I will be working by June 30' but you are really setting yourself up to be let down," says Cheryl Heisler, president of Lawternatives, a career coaching firm for lawyers. "Concrete goals are good -- as long as they are within your control. Do commit to goals that you can reach, like 'I will make five new contacts each week.'"

Talk to people

Making an effort to talk to people in your industry can give your job search a much-needed boost for a number of reasons: It's great for networking, it can provide you with a renewed sense of motivation and energy, it'll help you stay abreast on what's new in your field, and it can present you with options and opportunities you may not have known you had.

Best of all -- talking with your industry peers can help you get a job faster. "After speaking with someone once or twice and building a rapport, they are much more likely to bring up potential job leads or contacts for you, rather than you having to ask for them," says Kathryn Minshew, co-founder and editor-in-chief of Pretty Young Professional, a blog and online resource for young professional women.

Is there someone in your field that you'd like to know, but don't? Reach out and ask the person for an informational interview. "I firmly believe in informational interviews," Minshew says. "Everyone loves being asked for advice, and sometimes the best thing you can do to get your foot in the door is to find people who work at the company or industry you're targeting, and ask them if you can meet."

Take a break

Although it's important to maintain momentum and keep up a steady job search, it's also important to take time out of your day to de-stress. "Stress can be palpable and you don't want to present yourself to prospective employers or networking contacts as someone who will crack under pressure," Sanford says. "Whether it's a morning yoga class or walking around the block, find what works for you and incorporate it into your daily routine."

Reducing stress also means fighting the e-leash during "you" time. While you may feel compelled to check your e-mail or voice mail every five minutes, fighting the urge will help you relax. "Access your voice mail and e-mail a few times a day -- and then let it go," Sanford says.

Kaitlin Madden is a writer and blogger for CareerBuilder.com and its job blog, The Work Buzz. She researches and writes about job search strategy, career management, hiring trends and workplace issues. Follow @Careerbuilder on Twitter.

Developing Your Selling Points

Beth Braccio Hering, CareerBuilder Writer

Imagine you are an advertising executive assigned the task of getting people to try a new soft drink. Before you pitched the product to consumers, chances are you'd examine the item carefully. How does it taste? Is it lower in calories than other beverages? What features distinguish it from other drinks?

The process is much the same for job seekers -- only this time you are both the marketer and the product being peddled. Before trying to "sell" yourself to prospective employers, it is worth taking time to evaluate your attributes and the best ways they can be presented.

Pinpointing strengths
Experts agree that honest self-assessment is paramount when seeking to identify your selling points. Enlisting the help of a few trusted friends and colleagues who know you well also can be helpful, but ask them to give specific examples to back up the strengths they list. (Evidence will help keep the comments truthful rather than just supportive or nice.)

Paul Klein, director of the career services center at Cleveland State University in Cleveland, Ohio, suggests making a list of all the job responsibilities that you've had, no matter how many or few times you've done them. "For example, if you work at a fast food restaurant and spend 99 percent of your time flipping burgers, it's still very important to include the other 1 percent of your job, which might entail opening or closing the store or taking money from the cash register to the bank. Although this only counts for 1 percent of your job, it's extremely important, as it indicates a level of management skills, trust and responsibility."

Presenting your information
While you might be an excellent typist, an employer looking for an experienced cook is probably not going to care. Worse yet, skills that would have made a hiring manager take notice may be lost within a sea of information.

Instead of a cover letter that could be used for 25 different jobs or a résumé detailing every experience you've ever had, focus on the skills that pertain to the job in question. Take cues from the job ad as to what might be important, and show with positive language and concrete examples how your strengths match the employer's needs. To say you have great writing skills is one thing. To state that you helped your last employer achieve greater communication between departments by creating a monthly newsletter is another.

Klein offers these tips to further help job seekers trying to decide what to include:

• If you work for a name brand employer (IBM, Microsoft) that should get highlighted on your résumé.


• If you work for a solid employer with a great reputation in the field that you're going into, that should be highlighted.


• If you're working for an organization that no one's heard of, emphasize the position, its responsibilities and your accomplishments.

Selling yourself at the interview
Sara LaForest, co-founder of Kubica LaForest Consulting (a management consulting and performance improvement company serving clients nationwide), notes that when your application leads to an interview, consistency across your verbal and written presentation is essential. She recommends seeking a trusted friend or coach to help with a practice interview in which you "articulate your strengths as aligned to the prospective role and use specific evidence (behaviorally-based examples) that demonstrate the outcomes of your skill strengths."

"Practice responding to questions that focus on your strengths, why you would be good for this job and 'why should we select you'- type questions," LaForest says. "Practice responding in a conversational tone -- even if the question surprises you. Exuding a calm confidence, discussing your strengths and reinforcing them in a matter-of-fact way with evidence to support your statements is powerful."

Making the sale
A last thought to consider: Just as you would be leery about a product making too many claims, so might a person making hiring decisions.

"Sell yourself responsibly," LaForest cautions. "Nobody likes a pusher. Specific to selling yourself to prospective employers, ensure you clearly understand their needs and priorities. Do this by listening sincerely and asking clarifying questions. Listen first -- and more than you talk."

Get the latest job search news and advice on CareerBuilder.com's job seeker bloghttp://www.theworkbuzz.com/ and follow us on Twitter @CBforJobSeekers.

How to Answer: 'What Have You Been Doing Since You Were Laid Off?'

Kaitlin Madden, CareerBuilder.com Writer

When you first lost your job, you spent your time wallowing in your sorrows -- eating ice cream in your pajamas and watching Judge Judy all afternoon. Then your determination kicked in, and you decided to find a new job. You perused job boards, polished up your résumé, searched for old co-workers on LinkedIn -- and occasionally watched Judge Judy all afternoon.

While this may be the truth about what you've been doing since your last job ended, telling this to a recruiter probably won't be all that impressive. Though looking for a job is an admirable and necessary task for those out of work, telling a recruiter about your job search won't set you apart from the pack.

So how do you answer the "What have you been doing" question in an interesting, unique and truthful manner?

Focus on activities you've been involved with

For example, if you have three kids, tell the recruiter how you've been able to serve as team parent for your child's soccer team since you have more free time. Or, if you've spent your extra time going to the gym, talk about how you've been focusing on improving your health. These things show that you're making the best out of a less-than-ideal situation.

Activities like volunteering and part-time work can also yield transferable job skills. If you've been helping out a local charity with its online marketing efforts or putting in 20 hours a week as a part-time receptionist, relate the experience to the job you're applying for.

"There are tons of transferable skills that are gained from volunteer work and unpaid projects," says Susan Fletcher, psychologist and author of "Working in the Smart Zone." "Community involvement, events you've participated in or even been in charge of, volunteer boards you've served on and organizations you've been a member of provide a network and skill set similar to a paying job."

Highlight self-improvement

Have you been reading up on your industry in an effort to stay current? Did you recently start a blog about your field or try your hand at consulting?

"Our chief technology officer likes to ask people what they learned last month," says Daniel Ruby, research director at Chitka, an advertising company. "[Whether it be] a new coding language or a new database structure -- keeping up on the latest emerging skill sets is a very good sign that this is someone we want to hire."

Showing an interviewer that you've been developing your skill set while unemployed demonstrates that you are motivated and interested in furthering your career and have a passion for your industry. "We've interviewed several people who were laid off and had been unemployed for a while," Ruby says. "Personally, I like to hear about entrepreneurial ventures they've tried, whether it's building an ad-powered website, starting an online store, etc. Like many tech firms, we love seeing the entrepreneurial spirit in someone. If they started a company and failed, that's great, because they started a company and were actively working to control their own destiny."

Lay the groundwork

You can't give an interesting answer to the question "What have you been doing since you were laid off?" if you haven't been doing anything interesting. Although it may be hard to concentrate on anything but finding a job, it shouldn't be your sole focus. Taking on volunteer activities, signing up for a class that will improve your skills, doing contract work or joining a job-search support group will not only help you keep your sanity while you're unemployed, but will also make you more attractive to potential employers.

Kaitlin Madden is a writer and blogger for CareerBuilder.com and its job blog, The Work Buzz. She researches and writes about job search strategy, career management, hiring trends and workplace issues. Follow @CBForJobSeekers on Twitter.

"How are you supposed to answer "What are your weaknesses?"

Anthony Balderrama, CareerBuilder Writer

Interviewing someone for a job is not as easy as it looks. First, as the interviewer, you're tasked with finding the person who will not only do the job well but also fit in well with the other employees. You have to assess abstract qualities that can't be found on a résumé. Because you have to repeat the process for every potential employee, you end up asking question after question to applicant after applicant.

Still, interviewers need to be told something: "What is your biggest weakness?" is not a good question. It just isn't.

Now, job seekers have to understand that interviewers want to find some way to distinguish one applicant from another. Asking questions that are seemingly impossible to answer is one way to see who can think creatively. The question is an admirable way to achieve this. However, this question isn't the same as asking, "Name three difficult situations and how you've overcome them." That question asks you to think critically about your performance, talents and problem-solving skills. Asking you to identify your weakest professional trait is like asking, "Why should I choose someone else for this job?"

Yet, it's a staple that you should assume will come up in every interview. Rather than tell the interviewer, "Well, that's a dumb question and I refuse to answer it," you do have a legitimate ways to respond and look better for it. And no, stating that your biggest flaw is being a perfectionist is not an acceptable answer, either.

Honesty, with a twist
"'What are your three strengths and three weaknesses?'... is a classic, but not too many people know how to answer this," says Kenneth C. Wisnefski, founder and CEO of WebiMax, an online marketing company specializing in search engine optimization. "As an interviewer, we want to hear strengths that describe initiative, motivation and dedication. The best way to respond is to include these attributes into specific 'personal statements.'

Similarly, weaknesses should be positioned as a strength that can benefit the employer.

"I like to hear applicants state an exaggerated strength, and put an interesting twist on it. An example of this is, 'My initiative is so strong, that sometimes I take on too many projects at a time.'"

This answer leads with a strength that employers want -- initiative -- and still acknowledges that you're not perfect. In fact, you can overextend yourself. Although you might consider this acknowledgement too honest, it works because it proves you're being honest. Plus, employers are still requiring workers to "do more with less," so you show that you are prepared to multitask.

Honesty, with progress
When you consider what your weaknesses are, think about how you have attempted to overcome them. No one is perfect, so pretending that you had a weakness and then eliminated it entirely will come across is insincere. Debra Davenport, author of "Career Shuffle," believes citing examples are the best approach.

"My preferred response for this question is to tell the truth without damaging the applicant's image -- and in a manner that doesn't make the candidate come across like they've been coached by a Hollywood PR person," Davenport explains. "Many candidates are on to this question and so have developed fluff answers such as, 'My co-workers have told me that I sometimes take my work too seriously,' or 'I can never seem to leave the office at 5:00 -- I guess I just love my work too much!'"

Employers aren't buying it, she says.

"A better response might be, 'I've had some challenges with work-life balance in the past and I realize that a life out of balance isn't good for me, my family or my employer. I've taken the time to learn better time and project management, and I'm also committed to my overall wellness. I eat right, exercise and maintain healthy boundaries for myself.'"

The answer adds some dimension to the question, and proves you've thought beyond the answer. You've actually changed your behavior to address the situation, even if you haven't completely overcome the weakness.

"[It] lets the employer know that this candidate is emotionally mature, self-directed and takes care of himself or herself ... and possesses a high internal locus of control -- a very positive attribute."

Put yourself in the interviewer's shoes
However you decide to answer, Debra Yergen, author of "Creating Job Security Resource Guide," recommends job seekers imagine themselves sitting on the other side of the desk.

"If you were doing the hiring, what would you be looking for? What would be your motivation for asking certain questions? Who would you be trying to weed out? If you can empathize with the interviewer, you can better understand what they want and need, and then frame your qualifications to meeting their needs for the position you seek."

Once you consider what the goal of the question is and figure out what your honest answer is, you'll be able to give the best possible answer to a tricky question.

Anthony Balderrama is a writer and blogger for CareerBuilder.com and its job blog, The Work Buzz. He researches and writes about job search strategy, career management, hiring trends and workplace issues.

"Overqualified": Should you leave things off your résumé to avoid the label?

Beth Braccio Hering, Special to CareerBuilder


Doug Hadley of Mansfield, Texas, estimates that he has applied for more than 600 jobs -- with no positive results. "I have been told I am overqualified many, many times. The few times I have been granted interviews, I hear, 'We are afraid this position will not challenge you enough.'"

Moving in on two years of unemployment, Hadley is willing to try different tactics to see what might work. He has begun to leave off some of his education as well as the fact that he is a published author. "I don't want to have to omit such things, but I feel as though I don't even get considered if they are on my résumé," he laments.

While only time will tell if this strategy works for him, plenty of other job seekers deliberate the same issue. Here, a few perspectives on leaving info off a résumé.

Crafting

Many experts will caution job seekers about even applying for positions for which they are overqualified because of decreased earning potential, boredom and a larger applicant pool (not to mention the bruised ego if one doesn't land that "crummy" job). For applicants who still decide to give it a shot, "crafting" is often the route of choice.

A good application for any position should be created to match the employer's needs as closely as possible. Thus, simple (yet truthful) changes can make you a better candidate.

Duncan Mathison, a career consultant and co-author of "Unlock the Hidden Job Market: 6 Steps to a Successful Job Search When Times are Tough," recalls a client who felt his master's degree in psychology might be hindering his chances for a business sales job. "We dropped the degree and replaced it with an 'Additional Professional Training' statement that said, 'More than 500 hours in professional training on topics such as buyer motivation, persuasion and organizational behavior.' This allowed him to position the value of his psychology training for a sales position without listing the degree. It was truthful, and it worked."

Similarly, terminology changes such as "manager" becoming "project team leader" may be a better match to a particular job ad. Some job seekers tone down executive-sounding titles, especially if inflated (such as opting for a managerial title rather than showcasing that you were vice president in a company with only five employees).

"I often tell my more experienced and older clients to omit their dates of graduation (if they graduated on schedule rather than mid-career)," says Roy Cohen, a career coach and author of "The Wall Street Professional's Survival Guide." "This frees them up to leave off as many years of experience as necessary, so the application doesn't feel burdened by the weight of their careers."

Another option is creating a functional résumé instead of a chronological one. By sorting experiences into skill clusters, there becomes less of an emphasis on the length or extensiveness of past positions.

Beyond the résumé

Candidates are free to present themselves in the way they see most fit (outside of lying, of course). But what happens, say, if an employer asks about items like missing dates?

"First, that's a good thing because the applicant was invited in for an interview with the company," Cohen says. "He can always respond, 'I left it off intentionally. I wanted the attention to be focused entirely on my relevant and very valuable experience. Let me tell you about what I've done ... '"

Some job seekers, however, find it hard to sell themselves.

"I took my MBA off my résumé and tried to dumb myself down, but in the interviews, it got tricky," says Tiffany Bradshaw of California. "They would ask about certain experience and if I had it, and I felt like I was telling stories/lies to try to cover up the items I had taken off."

Likewise, employers may feel duped if the applicant who shows up is older than his résumé suggests or if the conversation feels disjointed.

"It's dangerous to leave relevant experience off a résumé, especially in the legal field," says Cheryl Heisler, president and founder of Lawternatives, a career-consulting firm for lawyers. "In much of the law, the devil is in the details. If you are perceived as loose or careless about those 'unimportant little details,' you can send the exact wrong message to a future employer. Better to 'spin' the parts of your background that might make you seem overqualified than to extract them."

The decision

Like most career decisions, there isn't an easy answer about what to keep or delete on a résumé. Perhaps reflecting on how to make the document appealing to a prospective employer while still painting a portrait you are comfortable with is key. For when a candidate feels confident about her presentation, it is bound to get noticed.

Beth Braccio Hering researches and writes about job search strategy, career management, hiring trends and workplace issues for CareerBuilder.com. Follow @CareerBuilder on Twitter.