Job Hunting Tips #5 Creating a Sense of Security

In a time of economic downturn, international turmoil,
company restructuring and corporate mergers run amok,
thousands of people are either out of work or fearful of
losing their jobs.

Is there, then, such a thing as job security?

No job, in itself, is totally secure. Governments cut back,
unions have periods when they have no work available for
their members, directors and CEOs are forced out, self-
employment ventures fail. Even the most coveted and powerful
position in the world, the Presidency of the United States,
only lasts 4 or 8 years.

Your only job security lies in self-security. Knowledge and
appreciation of your value as a worker: your skills, your
competence, your personal qualities, can build the sense of
security you crave. A true understanding of the process of
finding work, the resources available, and the personal
networking which captures the hidden job market, leads to a
sense of self-empowerment. The job you are performing may
not last until retirement but the prospect of losing it can
be transformed from a negative, anxiety-laden situation into
a self-affirming, positive opportunity for growth, movement,
and the chance to turn your life in new directions.

Here are 10 Tips to help you build a sense of security:

1. Write down all of your skills, experience, knowledge, and
personal qualities.

2. Re-read your list daily and before each and every
interview until the information is ingrained and at your
fingertips.

3. Expand your network by contacting everyone you know, not
to ask for a job but to identify other people to contact who
might know of a position.

4. Maintain your sense of self. Follow the familiar routines
you devised while working so you continue to feel like you.

5. Identify multiple resources: newspaper ads, job lines,
internet sites, agencies, networking. Knowing that multiple
options are available can counteract negativity about the
future and feelings of panic.

6. Treasure your support systems. The frustration you feel
is often misdirected towards those closest to you.
Appreciate your family and friends and banish the self-pity
that often comes with stress.

7. Treasure yourself. Don't berate yourself for the mistakes
you make. Concentrate on remembering things you have done
well, that show your individual value.

8. Pace yourself. Allow for periods of not thinking about
work. Do something active that you enjoy even if only for an
hour or two at a time.

9. Maintain your objectivity. Not being offered a job does
not reflect on your personal competence. It simply indicates
a mismatch as if you had tried unsuccessfully to sell a
shack to a couple secretly seeking a mansion.

10. Manage your job search as if it were a sales campaign.
Even the world's best sales person will not make every sale
but knows that each new contact increases the chance of
success.

Practice these tips to build a sense of security, even if
initially fragile, and your mental outlook will bloom,
allowing you to remain calm in the face of the panic of
those around you who walk in constant fear of layoff.