You know you had a tough day at work when you come home and try to open your front door with your car clicker. Perhaps the pace at work is so maddening you find yourself at lunchtime standing in front of the microwave yelling, "Hurry!" If your boss is so mean, employees no longer wave at him/her using all five fingers then you might need to read this article. Whether it is the commute, long hours on the job, unpleasant work duties, co-workers or unreasonable management many of us at one time or another have felt the pain of earning a paycheck from a job that we can't stand. As a staffing expert with over twenty years experience recruiting and placing professionals for a variety of fields at all levels of experience I know there are at least two things you can do to bring relief to your work-day.
#1 thing to do: Improve your immediate outlook. You may not have control over what or who is making your employment situation unpleasant but you do have control over how you handle each day.
Find a Psalm to keep you calm. Write down your favorite Psalm and refer to it throughout the workday. Tape it on your computer or inside your top desk drawer where you are sure to see it. I have a faded scrap of paper inside my briefcase that reads, "I have set the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;" Psalm 16: 8-9 NIV.
Find humor in your dreadful situation. I once held a job that was so awful, I had to remind myself that I was working for a good cause... 'cause I needed the money. You may not find that making jokes about your job works for you but you can do other things to bring joy into your life. Read the comics daily, watch funny movies, buy a good clean joke book, keep a funny picture on your desk, dance, sing, and stay away from negative co-workers. Remember Proverbs 17:22, "A cheerful heart is a good medicine."
Kick it up a notch. Stand out by ever-improving your grooming habits. Refer to images in business magazines to get an idea as to what to wear at work. If you work in a business-casual environment, leave the jeans and tennis-shoes at home! Another way to kick it up a notch is to read trade magazines and web sites to keep up with the latest trends in your industry. Lastly, don't forget to kick it up a notch in regards to communication. Always spell check your email messages and strive to write professional looking email through use of proper grammar and sentence structure.
#2 thing to do: Set yourself free. Start your search engines and drive yourself to a new job. Be prepared in knowing that if you are serious in finding a new job you need to treat the search like it is your second job.
Write your resume. Recruiters only have about 30 seconds to view each resume to see if the applicant is worth spending more time with. Recruiters don't care if the resume is 2 or 3 pages long, they are looking for key words that apply to the position they are seeking to fill. They are looking for levels of education, dates of employment, titles and places of employment. Your name, address, email, and phone numbers should be clearly visible. A sure reason to discard a resume is a foolish email address such as sexykitten@anyemailhost.com or lazybones@anyemailhost.com. If you are aggressively searching for a new job please remove privacy manager from your phone service and don't let your toddler leave the outgoing message. Have your resume work for you by posting your resume on the major internet job boards as well as the niche sites that apply to your field of expertise. Apply for desired jobs at individual employer web sites. If there is an employment application that needs to be filled out, be sure to fill it out accurately and completely. Never write, 'see resume' on an employment application as this may indicate laziness and inability to follow directions.
Specifics sell. When writing a resume, cover letter and thank-you letter be specific. Vague statements like, 'hard-worker, dedicated, enjoyed meeting you', mean nothing to the recruiter or hiring manager. Specifics like, 'Supervised a staff of ten call center representatives' will catch the eye of the reader and provide them with important information. A cover letter that details how many years of experience you have in your line of expertise as well as why you are qualified for the job that you are applying for will get your resume a longer than 30 second look-over. After an interview always send a thank you letter (email format is fine) to all those that took the time to meet with you.
This is your chance to remind the recruiter and hiring managers what you learned at the interview and why you are a fit (remember to be specific) for the position.
It may take months of keeping up a good attitude and professional demeanor during a difficult time while persevering in your job search but if you follow the basic steps mentioned in this article you are sure to land that new, exciting job. A final word to the wise when it comes time to say, "Buh-bye". Be sure to wave goodbye using all five fingers and give at least one week notice, both in writing and verbally, to your current employer.
