John-Paul Hatala

If you were ever unemployed you undoubtedly hit a brick wall while conducting the job search. Job search intensity or the level of activity you put into your search has been found to be highly correlated to not only find a job, but doing it faster. Without intensity, the job search may become a long, depressing, drawn out process.

So what to do. The key is remaining busy. Not busy for busy sake but conducting activities that move the job seeker seeker closer to employment. I've written in the past about the need to break down the goal of finding a job into smaller tasks. This is absolutely critical if the job seeker is going to avoid the proverbial brick wall.

The key is to make finding a job your overall objective and setting small, realistic goals along the way that lead to ultimate success. So for example, a smaller goal maybe to identify the the top 5 organizations the individual wants to work for or identifying the a job that you're willing to take as long as it meets some strategic criteria you've set for accepting it. The key is to break your search down into mini tasks so that you can feel the thrill of success. Believe it or not, this success will encourage you to move forward and maintain a level intensity important to finding a job.

I'm sure there are a number of different ways to doing this. The key to success is job search intensity. What are you or your clients doing to manage this intensity? How is it part of your action plan? If you're not doing something, you may experience unemployment for a long time. Set short, realistic goals and you'll notice a difference in your psyche and possibly even avoid the full brunt of the brick wall.

JP