{"id":84196,"date":"2015-07-23T09:00:56","date_gmt":"2015-07-23T14:00:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/?p=84196"},"modified":"2015-07-23T13:51:56","modified_gmt":"2015-07-23T18:51:56","slug":"the-job-hunters-guide-to-positivity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/?p=84196","title":{"rendered":"The Job Hunter’s Guide to Positivity"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Claire Schmieder, Volunteer Manager
\nPreviously published 11\/11\/14
\n<\/em><\/p>\n

The Job Hunter\u2019s Guide to Positivity<\/span><\/h3>\n

\"Claire.Schmieder.SeniorEditor\"<\/a>Just about one year ago, I started working at my current job. Hooray! This upcoming anniversary\u00a0has gotten me reflecting on the time BEFORE I started working, when I was a verging-on-desperate job hunter. After I earned my MLIS, I spent nearly a year applying for jobs. While that\u00a0year was stressful, I worked hard to make the most of it and to stay positive<\/a>. I was determined\u00a0not to fall into a negativity spiral. Nearly two years ago, I came up with a handful of ways to use\u00a0positivity to beat back any negativity in my life.<\/p>\n

So here you have it, nine ways to keep shining, growing, and moving forward.<\/p>\n

Celebrate Your Successes:<\/strong> Whether small or large, don\u2019t wait a single second longer to\u00a0celebrate the good things in your life. You got an interview for a job you\u2019re really excited about?\u00a0Celebrate! You managed to shave a minute or two off of your 5K personal best? Celebrate! You\u00a0finally cleaned out your linen closet? Celebrate! (And then come to my house and give me a\u00a0hand with mine.)<\/p>\n

How to celebrate? Free stuff includes: giving yourself a high five and sharing your success on\u00a0social media so other people can join in the celebration with you. If you\u2019ve got some extra cash,\u00a0treat yourself to something, like a trip to the bookstore, a concert ticket, or a visit to a museum.<\/p>\n

Lastly, celebrating success does not equal bragging<\/strong>. You are your own best advocate and cheer\u00a0section.<\/p>\n

Celebrate the Successes of Others:<\/strong> It can be difficult to be happy with your own situation when\u00a0it feels like everyone else around you is achieving their goals. However, it is crucial to remember\u00a0that another person\u2019s success doesn\u2019t equate to a failure on your part.<\/strong><\/p>\n

In fact, the success of others is TOTALLY unrelated to you and you should avoid reframing\u00a0someone else\u2019s achievement in terms of your own perceived lack thereof. Instead, congratulate\u00a0them on their accomplishment and then take them out for coffee to find out more about it. If\u00a0they got a job, landed a coveted award, or were asked to speak at an event, ask them who, what,\u00a0where, and how; their answers might provide you some insight into your own situation. At the\u00a0very least, you\u2019ll help another person celebrate their own success.<\/p>\n

Stay Physically Active:<\/strong> It\u2019s really easy to stay glued to the couch when you\u2019re not feeling\u00a0positive. However, one study<\/a> (of many similar studies) shows that \u201cgreater amounts of\u00a0occupational and leisure time physical activity were generally associated with reduced symptoms\u00a0of depression.\u201d You don\u2019t have to be in fabulous shape or have an expensive gym membership\u00a0to be physically active, either. Throw on some sneakers, grab your headphones, and take a long\u00a0walk.<\/p>\n

Stay Professionally Active:<\/strong> This one can be a little trickier because there is an absolute cost<\/a>\u00a0associated with being professionally active. Professional memberships will cost you money;\u00a0travel, lodging, and registration for conferences will cost you even more money; volunteering\u00a0will cost you time (which should be valued similarly to actual cash).<\/p>\n

Despite these obviously pricey options, there are additional ways to stay professionally active\u00a0without completely destroying your bank account. Blogging, being active in online communities\u00a0(like the INALJ LinkedIn<\/a> group), and using social media to be aware of current events in library\u00a0land. If you\u2019re a student, definitely check out the deeply discounted rates for membership in\u00a0professional organizations. (Currently, student membership in ALA is $35\/year<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

Smile:<\/strong> Guess what, even if you don\u2019t feel like smiling, do it anyway. Research<\/a> from the\u00a0University of Kansas shows that<\/a> \u201csmiling can alter our stress response by slowing down the heart\u00a0rate and decreasing perceived levels of stress regardless of whether the person actually feels\u00a0happy or not.\u201d The bottom line is that smiling is good for you, so just do it.<\/p>\n

Spend Time with Others:<\/strong> Job hunting can be exhausting. And discouraging. Don\u2019t isolate\u00a0yourself with your tired, discouraged thoughts. Getting out of the house, even briefly, to spend\u00a0some time with people you like will improve your mood.<\/p>\n

Accept Help:<\/strong> Don\u2019t go through your job hunt alone! You are a strong, capable person, but there\u00a0will come a time when you will need advice about a job application, a letter of recommendation\u00a0from a mentor, or a trusted ear to bend when you\u2019re struggling. If a seasoned professional offers\u00a0to critique your resume, say yes, please, and thank you. If a former professor offers to make a\u00a0call on your behalf to help you get an interview, say yes, please, and thank you.<\/p>\n

Practice Enthusiasm:<\/strong> Enthusiasm is contagious; it makes people smile; it makes everyone\u00a0(including yourself) feel more motivated. Showing enthusiasm for your profession, your hobbies,\u00a0your friends, your family, and yourself equals a more positive outlook overall.<\/p>\n

What do you do to stay positive? Share in the comments!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Claire Schmieder, Volunteer Manager Previously published 11\/11\/14 The Job Hunter\u2019s Guide to Positivity Just about one year ago, I started working at my current job. Hooray! This upcoming anniversary\u00a0has gotten me reflecting on the time BEFORE I started working, when I was a verging-on-desperate job hunter. After I earned my MLIS, I spent nearly…<\/p>\n

Read more \u2192<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":76790,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[145],"tags":[146,69,3592,3858,3665,3655,3658,3860,266,5223,4794,4689],"class_list":["post-84196","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles","tag-advice","tag-article","tag-blog","tag-claire-schmieder","tag-inalj-new-york-state","tag-inalj-nyc","tag-inalj-texas","tag-job-hunt","tag-job-search","tag-positive-attitude","tag-positivity","tag-staying-positive"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/Claire.Schmieder.SeniorEditor.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1WoMK-lU0","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84196","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=84196"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84196\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/76790"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=84196"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=84196"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=84196"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}