Here is the first of two posts about Jobs and Health (not to be confused with jobs in health) in honor of the Wellness Fair taking place all day tomorrow!
Getting started…
The Pathways Booklet strives to integrate all aspects of your college career into your resume – molding you into a well-rounded candidate and helping you to better understand your strengths and interests. It’s a great place to start and plan for your job search – Come and grab one from the CC!
Encourage Your Mental Health:
- Limit Your Daily Bad News Intake. A barrage of bad news effects your mood. Stay informed with current events, but try not to gorge on depressing stories and stats.
- Focus on What you Can Control. Make a plan for your search and stick to it. Establish a routine based off daily and weekly plans, and count your accomplishments – however minor.
- Continue Learning and Pursue a Hobby. Update you skills during your downtime and stay on top of your passions. FIlling your mind with things other than job listings will help you keep perspective and have some fun.
Nurture your Emotional Health:
- Have Realistic Expectations About your Job Search. Work and hope for the best, but understand that a lengthy job search may be in store given the current environment.
- Spend Time with Friends and Family. Connecting with those we care about is one of the very best de-stressors – make sure to take time often to catch up with others.
- Improve the Lives of Others through Volunteering. Improve the good of others, along with your own indivdual well-being – the perfect win-win situation.
- Connect with other Job Hunters. Communities of job hunters are available online and in your city. They can be great shoulders to lean on, and can provide practical solutions to job search dilemmas.
Cultivate your Physical Health:
- Get Plenty of Rest. Staying up all night won’t help you. Make sure to get at least seven hours a night.
- Eat Healthy. Poor eating habits can have a negative effect on your mood and ability to function. Nutrient deficiencies can result in depression, anxiety, mood swings, and forgetfulness.
- Get Plenty of Exercise. Get those endorphins pumping! Make this a part of your job search routine.
- Get Outside. Take a deep breath of fresh air and realize that the job search stage will pass.
Think Outside the Box in your Job Search
Reality is that many graduates may struggle to find a job (and current students may struggle to find a summer position). While sending out cover letters and resumes are certainly valuable uses of yoru time, also think about ways to grow an employer’s interest in you.
For example, how about spending your time doing some combination of the following (maybe all?!):
- Spend twenty hours running a project for a non-profit
- Teach yourself Java, HTML, Flash, PHP, and SQL. Not a little, but mastery.
- Volunteer to coach or assist a kids sports team
- Start, run, and grow an online community
- Give a speech a week to a local organization
- Write a regular newsletter or blog about an industry you care about
- Learn a foreign language fluently
- Write three detailed business plans for projects in the industry you care about
- Self-publish a book
- Run a marathon
If you wake up every morning at 6, give up TV and treat this like a job, you could accomplish everything – When you do, what happens to your job prospects?
(Info and ideas from http://www.excelle.moster.com/ and http://www.sethgodin.typepad.com/)