To retain long-term motivation for your job search overall, you need to take certain actions:
- Pace yourself and move through the process.
- Push past the ups and downs, and do not get discouraged by the inevitable disappointments during the job search.
- Stay focused on the end goal of ultimately securing job offers.
Long-term motivation is the marathon aspect of your job search. If you are experienced at long-term projects, such as big research papers, then you can apply your experience and know-how about pacing and scheduling to your job search. If you are a better student in the weekly exam class model, then you need to periodically remind yourself of your overall job search goals. Select from the specific strategies for maintaining long-term motivation later in this chapter.
A good example of maintaining long-term motivation is the case of Emily G., a class of 2008 undergraduate who was interested in the media industry and had moved to New York City after college in
Pennsylvania. Her job search took over a year, during which time she held a series of internships and part-time jobs, all while conducting her search. She graduated during a serious downturn in the economy.
She received two offers that were rescinded, through no fault of her own, because the budget for those positions was cut. It took over a year, but her third offer finally stuck, and she is happily employed at a major media company in human resources.
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