Updated June 7, 2023
Quitting a job search means stopping the process of looking for employment opportunities, which can be due to various reasons such as personal circumstances, job market conditions, or a change in career goals.
After several failed job-searching strategies, feeling down is natural. If you leave, you may never win.
If you still feel that you are in such a situation that you don’t know what to do other than quitting your job search, here’s what comes to aid.
Quitting job search? Read this first
Let’s get started.
I can and I will
It sounds kind of cliché. But it’s not. Many people, when they get very tired of searching for jobs, end up quitting their job search because they lose the ability to think that they can. And until they find someone, a book, a quote, or something that promises them they can, they don’t believe in themselves.
Why?
Because it’s hard to believe in yourself when the result in front of you is hardly telling that you can!
But we’re telling you that you can. And we have evidence.
If you’re new to job search, you may need to learn about the market and your ability. But think about your past successes. You did something to reach this point where you’re now searching for a job. Even if you don’t have a professional degree now, you still have some skills that will work in the market.
The trick is to take a job even if it doesn’t suit you well. Once you have a job, you can search for another job that might suit your need. Imagine what will happen if you give up. If you give up, you lose the possibility of what can happen in your future.
If you’ve got years of experience in the job field, you already know you can.
Many organizations have rejected you in the past, think about why they rejected you and what you need to do to ensure you feel capable.
Write down 100 things you can do. Yes, it should be 100 or more, not less. You can include anything from small things to big things. Start with “I’m able to write a list of 100 at any time” and then on and on and on. This simple list will give you a boost to regain your trust in yourself so that you don’t consider quitting your job search as an option.
Take out another piece of paper and write down a list of your past successes. It doesn’t matter how small it is; just ensure it’s more than 100. Start right now.
Who said you can’t? And if you can, you will.
There’s a job out there
Let us tell you a story.
There were two men laid off from a company at the same time. They had similar qualifications, and they both had the same years of experience. Both of them went out and started searching for jobs. One month went by. Almost nothing happened. But they didn’t give up. Both of them still kept on trying. Another month passed by. Still, nothing happened.
One man said – “There’s no job out there; I’m quitting job search.”
And another man said – “No, I know there’s a job out there, and I won’t be quitting job search until I get one.”
Another month went by. The man who quit his job search started spending time with his unemployed friends and bitching about the economy and government. Another man kept on looking for a job. Guess what? In a small company, he got a job on a contract. Within two months, he did so well that he became a permanent employee.
After reading this story, tell us whether there’s any job. It depends upon you. It’s the simple difference between eyesight and mind-sight. The first man who considered quitting his job search for the right option had eyesight. Eyesight believes what’s happening around to be true. But the other man who got the job had mind-sight. He didn’t think about what was happening around him. Rather he believed that he could get a job and that there was a job out there.
Same with you! If you’re quitting a job search because you believe there’s no job, you’re simply going by your eyesight. You need to keep searching until you get one.
I will keep on searching ‘until’
Remember, ‘until’ is the magic word, and it can do wonders.
One day some people doubted a mountain climber’s ability to climb one of the tallest mountains in the world. He said – “I’m going to get up on this mountain.” They said – “But do you think you’ve got the ability to do it?” He said – “I will keep on going until I die.”
No, you don’t need to go to that extreme.
Let us show you some statistics to consider so you get one or two reference points about how many failures it takes to reach your summit.
Marketing Guru Seth Godin wrote many bestselling books. But do you know that the first book got rejected 900 times?
Have you given interviews 899 times yet? Then why think about quitting your job search?
Jack Canfield and his friend Mark Victor Hansen decided to publish their small storybook “Chicken Soup for the Soul,” Guess what? 122 publishers rejected their idea. And on the 123rd attempt, a small publisher accepted their manuscript.
Simply go to your room and talk to yourself. Convince yourself that – It’s not over until you win. It’s not over yet. Use this ‘until’ phrase. Promise yourself you will not consider quitting your job search ‘until’ you get a job.
Whenever they say ‘no’, you say ‘next’
You’re quitting your job search for one of two reasons.
- One, you’re rejected so many times, and you don’t have any power left to take rejections.
- Two, you feel you’re not worthy.
Even if these two options look different, they’re not!
Number two is the product of number one. So, we need to do something to remove number one from your mind.
Whenever Success Guru Jack Canfield faced rejection, he used to say one thing to himself – “Next.”
Use this simple trick to remove the fear of rejection.
People don’t know your worth. They can reject you, but they can’t stop you. It’s up to you.
In “The Fountainhead,”
“[Dean] “My dear fellow, who will let you?”
And the answer is nobody.
No one can stop you if you don’t allow yourself to put a stop sign before you.
Schedule as many interviews as you can.
If they reject you, simply say to yourself – “Their NO is my NEXT.”
I will bridge the gap between being unemployed to being employed
Your skills may not be as good as you think they’re. The motivational stories and all inspiration will dim if you’re not prepared enough. There may be something you can still do to develop interpersonal skills at work and bridge the gap.
But how would you know what they are?
There are two ways to do that.
- First, you need to sit with yourself for an hour or two. Take out a sheet of paper and divide it into four parts. Write down strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.
- Then think through each segment and write down your thoughts. In the end, write down one action step you can take for each of the points. Give a deadline for each action step and start working.
Another simple way is to ask for feedback after being rejected in an interview. Ask the recruiter – “I would like to know why I got rejected. If I knew, I could improve myself and get better. Can you please tell me?”
Most recruiters will tell you one or two points. The points may be true or false. Rejection often happens due to internal problems in the organization. So, judge well whether the point/s are valid or not. If it’s reasonable, make an action plan accordingly and start working.
I will work hard on myself till I get a job
Instead of quitting a job search, there’s a better option. You should tell yourself, “I will work hard on myself till I get a job.”
Most people give up instead of getting back up and working on themselves.
Now with the aid of the internet, there are so many things you can learn. Build new skills, learn new things, and develop your communication skills and presentation skills.
Most people work on the job than on themselves. Working on oneself creates magic. If you make a structure to develop yourself until you get a job, you can learn as many things as possible.
Be creative. Watch videos, read books, and listen to podcasts.
Enhance your confidence limits. Life is sometimes hard, we all know. And you will be rejected multiple times. But don’t let the circumstances of your life define who you’re. You’re much more than what you’re currently expressing. Take charge of your job search.
You can also do the following:
- Paste inspirational posters of your heroes on your walls or bathroom mirror so you can see and read them daily and get inspired.
- Find out your weaknesses and buy books for them. Pick one flaw and start working on it. Yes, you can do that while searching for jobs.
- Use a rubber band, and whenever there is a thought in your mind about quitting a job search, you can snap it. The pain you will feel will remind you that quitting your job search is out of the question. The only option is to keep on going.
Remember, quitting a job search is for the faint-hearted. Moving on is for heroes. Now choose. What would you want to be?
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