Finding Employment Can Be So Exhausting!

Okay...here you are, still in your pajamas, sipping hot coffee to wake up, and sitting in front of your computer while watching the sun rise.  Bleary eyes look at your home page while fingers that were limp with sleep just an hour ago try, now, to find the correct keys to type in "Craigslist.com"...or "HotJobs.com"...or "Monsters.com"...or...well, you get the drift! 

Why are you up this early, you ask yourself while already knowing the answer.  You are JOB HUNTING on the internet!  And, believe it or not, an early start on the internet is just as important for sending and responding to emails as it is when physically pounding the pavement and going from company to company while dressed for 'first impressions'!

Let's be clear on one thing; job hunting sucks.  Plain and simple. 

I've never met anyone at any time in my life who enjoyed the prospect of trying to sell themselves to a stranger in order to obtain employment, and seeking employment via the web is just as hard as doing the 'in person' routine. 

Wait a minute!  I think I may be wrong, here, because a prospective employer can't see you when you're firing off those emails and resumes from home.  Finding a job on the web may actually be harder than filling out applications in person because the prospective employer can't see if you're dressed neatly, doesn't know if you clam up under pressure or stutter, and is, therefore, unable to make any personal judgement based on visual inspection.

Is it just possible that maybe the prospective employer feels as frustrated as you do?! 

Before sending that email or resume, this might be something to ponder.  After all, if you were an employer, what would catch your eye in an email or resume that could possibly take the place of visual inspection?  Remember, too, that this employer is most likely going to receive more emails than what he'd/she'd ever want to read, and that it's only human nature to start skimming over the boring ones.

"Foul!" you cry.  "That's not fair!"

Well, fair or not, anything mundane always quickly takes the backseat to something more interesting!  Advertisers have known this for years which is why so many products on supermarket shelves are packaged in bright colors...billboards boast catchy phrases...and Las Vegas is full of lit lightbulbs that blink their 'come hither' bulbs at you!

So push yourself away from that computer and go get dressed!  Brush your teeth, wash your face, and fix your hair.  Make yourself presentable enough that if this person you're emailing happened to show up on your doorstep right now, you wouldn't faint from embarrassment or feel the need to offer a multitude of pardons and excuses!

It's a well-known fact that when you dress for advancement, you start thinking like a person who deserves advancement: and finding a job is definitely an advancement over being unemployed! 

When you feel more confident about yourself and your talents (Bright colors!), the right words will come to you more easily (Catchy phrases!), and your self-confidence will be transfered onto that email! (Lit lightbulbs flashing 'come hither'!).     

Remember; nothing is ever going to make looking for a job easy nor enjoyable.  But give yourself a fighting chance.  Believing in and feeling good about yourself and the talents that you possess is at least half the battle! 

So start acting and thinking like a winner!  Go get dressed...smile at yourself in the mirror while saying, "whoever gets me is getting a GREAT employee!"...settle yourself in front of that computer...keep your head up and your eyes on the goal...

And drink that coffee!