Five Job Search Hurdles

Five Job Search Hurdles. Statistics say most workers will change jobs five times throughout the course of their careers. That's bad news if you're one of the many who equate "job search" with "root canal," and actually prefer the latter.

If you're having trouble finding your job search mojo, here's a list of common motivational obstacles and some ways to overcome them.

Obstacle No. 1: Unrealistic Expectations

According to Peter Manzi, career counselor, the No. 1 reason people lose their motivation in a job search is they underestimate how much time a well-conducted job search actually takes.

Winning Strategy: Exhibit a Little Patience Manzi advises his clients to be more patient. A job search takes time, about five months on average by most accounts. You can't give up if you don't hear anything back after an interview. Instead, you should use the occasion as an opportunity to follow-up with the interviewer to see how the candidate search is progressing and offer yet another reason why you are best for the job. Then keep searching for new openings.

Obstacle No. 2: Fear of Competition

Often a lack of self-confidence can be attributed to a person's failure to launch a job search, keeping them hopelessly stuck in a dead end job.

Winning Strategy: List the Pros and Cons " I ask clients to write what is the worst that could happen through a job search, what is the best that could happen and what they will learn as the result," Manzi says. This is an easy and effective exercise which illustrates that you really have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

Obstacle No. 3: Procrastination

Procrastination can easily derail a healthy job search and usually results in missed deadlines and lost opportunities.

Winning Strategy: Engage a More Structured Search Process

If you are prone to putting things off, you may want to consider hiring a career coach or professional search firm to keep your search on track. Manzi sets a schedule of action along with a timetable for completion for his clients and checks in to make sure they are sticking to the plan.

"I e-mail my clients to get updates on how they're doing." For those who tend to procrastinate because the project seems so overwhelming, it can be helpful to remember that the entire process as a series of small steps of which you strive to complete one at a time.

Obstacle No. 4: "Finals Week" Mentality

While some people swear they work best under pressure, others simply procrastinate until completing the project becomes a major crisis.

Winning Strategy: Organization

If your thoughts are as scattered as the materials on your desk, it's easy to lose track of which items need to be completed and what your next move should be. Manzi advises his clients to keep accurate records of names, dates, phone numbers and materials sent on the computer, if possible. Organized files of information make it easy to recall names and phone numbers for follow-up and chart your search progress.

Obstacle No. 5: Feeling Discouraged

It's been weeks. You've barely gotten any bites and you feel like you're just spinning your wheels.

Winning Strategy: Reward Yourself

Sure, the ultimate goal is to secure a new job, but that does not mean there isn't plenty to celebrate along the way. Be sure to chart your progress and congratulate yourself when you meet job search milestones. For instance, if you met your goal of sending information to five contacts this week, take yourself out for a latte and a muffin. ( msn.com )