In 2017, the employment process takes on average 4-6 months.

On the one hand, employers are looking for, at a minimum, Marvel heroes, on the other, candidates storming the employment market without preparation.

It is no longer enough to be efficient and competent. Employees are selected based on their psychotypes, temperaments, zodiac signs, and anything else. They conduct hours-long testing and multi-level interviews.

Sometimes a work interview resembles an interrogation with biases, and from job advertisements one gets the impression that they are not looking for an employee - a friend: sociable, with a sense of humor, who is interested in sports.

Let's be honest, finding a 10 out of 10 job the first time is a great success, but you still have to try.

Summary

There are dozens of resume rules and templates written. But so far no one has come up with a formula for the “ideal resume.”

Experience and research on the site helped to name 5 useful recommendations:

• Photo needed
• Avoid outdated resume cliches
• Tell us about real professional achievements
• Keep structure and clear blocks
• Every profession has a new resume

Covering letter

More often than not, candidates neglect this part of the search routine - but in vain. A cover letter, of course, is not required, and a resume will be considered without it. But with it, the response becomes personal and targeted, which increases the chances of reaching an interview.

Don't treat your cover letter as a formality. For example, they often write - I’m interested in a vacancy, I want to work in “Company-N” and other obvious things.

A cover letter is a chance to be remembered, so treat it responsibly.

10-15 sentences are enough. Use simple, understandable language without jargon or formalism. Tell us why you are interested in the vacancy and what benefits the company will gain from you.

Remember, a recruiter spends 15 to 30 seconds on a resume. Therefore, the purpose of the letter is to interest the employer and force them to study the candidate’s profile more carefully.

Interview

80% of interviews end in refusal.

An invitation to a private conversation is a small victory, but it's not the time to relax. This is, without exaggeration, the most important stage. Here the employer gets to know each other, takes a closer look and evaluates the candidate both as a professional and as a person.

The event is nervous and responsible. At this stage, issues of future position, salary are often resolved and, in general, relationships with management are established.

You need to prepare for an interview - here are some tips.

Find out as much as possible: what it does, when it was founded, competitors. Try to study the corporate culture. Psychologists advise coming to an interview in clothes similar to the style of the company: they wear suits - put on a suit, creativity is welcomed - give free rein to your fashion fantasy.

20% of employers determine the fate of a candidate in the first 20 seconds.

Confidence and calm. Speak in a measured manner. Maintain eye contact and smile.

Don't be afraid of questions, because there are no right answers. When asking tricky and sometimes strange things, HR people want to see a reaction, and not to evaluate erudition.

Ask. Discuss the nuances of the work before and make an informed decision. Read more about what to say at a work interview.

Problems with employment have a serious impact on the human condition. Isolation from the generally accepted way of life, uncertainty of the future, lack of income - all this puts pressure on the psyche. Many people can’t stand it, can’t find a job, become depressed and don’t know what to do. You can avoid negative developments and overcome depression with the help of a psychologist or on your own.

General characteristics of depression

To understand the problem of the influence of the disease on the employment process and develop effective ways to counteract it, you must first understand the causes and nature of the state of depression.

Depression is a mental disorder that manifests itself in a decrease in mood and a person’s loss of the ability to enjoy life. In psychology, the disease is called an affective disorder. It is progressive but reversible. There are several stages of depression:

• light;
• average;
• heavy;
• chronic.

Signs

The main manifestations of depression are the following:

1. Bad mood without objective reasons for a long time (more than 14 days).
2. Decreased self-esteem.
3. Negative attitude towards yourself, others, your future.
4. Inappropriate feelings of guilt, fear, pessimism.
5. Loss of interest in life, habitual activities that no longer bring pleasure.
6. Decreased concentration.
7. Sleep and appetite disorders.
8. Oils about the meaninglessness of life, suicide, hopelessness.
9. Loss of strength over a long period of time (from one month).

The severe stage of depression is characterized by a “triad” of manifestations:

• decadent mood;
• slowing down of mental reactions and processes;
• motor retardation.

Development mechanism

The development of depressive disorders can be caused by a variety of dramatic experiences and negative events:

• death of a loved one;
• a sharp change in the usual way of life, loss of the usual social status;
• development of certain physical diseases;
• side effects of medications;
• excessive loads of stressful situations on the brain;
• severe psychological trauma in childhood;
• alcohol or drug addiction;
• lack of heat and light.

The main reason for the development of affective disorder also includes the problem of job loss.

Treatment options

Depression is a global problem. In the modern world, this disorder is the most common. Mental depression seriously affects your ability to work and your health.

Treatment of depression is carried out in several ways:

1. Medication. Prescribing a course of antidepressants - drugs that affect the intensity of hormone production that improve mood and well-being.
2. Psychotherapy is a treatment system based on the impact on the psyche.
3. Social therapy – integration of a person into social relationships, restoration of connections, inclusion in full interaction.
4. Physical exercise. Loads allow you to activate physiological processes, including the production of “positive” hormones.
5. Music therapy, art therapy, dance therapy.
6. Occupational therapy.
7. Aromatherapy.
8. Light therapy.

The success of treatment depends on accurate diagnosis of the causes of the disease. The use of specific treatments depends on the severity of the depression. The most common way to counteract the disease is by taking medications. This method is applied at all stages.

For mild and moderate disorders, psychotherapy and social therapy are effective. In severe stages, other methods are tried. To increase effectiveness, mixed courses of treatment are used - medications plus psychotherapy.

Why does depression occur when you have problems finding a job?

When the nature of the illness is clear, it becomes easier to understand the problem of the mutual influence of employment and depression. It is worth analyzing the nature of the disorder during the job search process, identifying the main signs and features of its manifestation.

The development of depression in an unemployed person

Depression develops due to severe psychological pressure. Having lost a job, a person experiences severe stress. You need to look for money somewhere, there is no confidence in the future, you need to change your usual way of life.

The situation is worsened by the presence of a family, small children, and loans. The lack of serious financial savings and a “safety cushion” for the near future forces a person to constantly think about solving the problem of employment.

The job search process begins: writing a resume, calling and sending resumes, interviews. The first blow comes when there are no vacancies that meet the person’s requirements. You have to choose - wait for a good job to appear or take what you have. The second blow is a refusal to call for an interview after sending your resume to the “right place”. The third blow is failure at the interview.

Days and weeks pass. The problem cannot be solved, money is running out, being at home all the time is depressing - the psyche cannot stand it. A person begins to think that he is a loser. Obsessive thoughts are born in my head - something is wrong with me, because no one wants to hire me. There is a loss of confidence and self-esteem decreases. Further more. From apparent helplessness, anger, aggressiveness and temper may appear.

All these signs signal the onset of depression. There is a loss of interest in the surrounding life, loss of appetite. Insomnia appears, which is accompanied by the “winding up” of negative scenarios.

Depression is often provoked by relatives and friends who do not understand the peculiarities of the psychological state of an unemployed person. The wife begins to show dissatisfaction every day, relatives refuse to support, friends are busy with their own affairs - all this demonstrates uselessness in a difficult situation. Such thoughts contribute to the development of psychological disorders of a depressive nature.

Another important aspect that needs to be clearly understood is the close relationship between the “no work” situation and depression. This connection forms a dangerous, closed sequence:

• Depression began due to job loss;
• the presence of depression interferes with quick employment;
• unemployment makes depression worse.

The emergence of uncertainty and low self-esteem affect the search for vacancies, the nature of telephone conversations, and behavior during interviews. With every failure, the fear of another failure increases. The person loses faith in his efforts to obtain employment.

Depression due to prolonged absence from work gets worse. There is a sharp, progressive decline in working capacity; the unemployed person spends most of his time alone in his apartment. Low self-esteem makes it difficult to appear on the street. A person begins to feel that everyone around him knows about his failures. It's better to do nothing and stay at home. Stagnation sets in.

A scary situation becomes dangerous when alcohol or drugs appear. These dangerous substances help to temporarily improve your mood and forget about negativity and problems. At this stage, it is necessary to actively take drastic measures - to begin treatment with the involvement of psychologists or psychotherapists.

Psychological reasons for problems finding a job

The main psychological reasons that interfere with finding a job include the following factors:

1. Fear of failure, of being rejected during a call or at an interview.
2. Insecurity due to low self-esteem.
3. Negative attitude towards yourself, your abilities and capabilities.
4. Fear of a negative reaction from society, family and friends.
5. An exaggerated attitude towards one's abilities and skills.

Symptoms of depression in the unemployed

When a person is in a difficult situation, it is important to monitor all changes in his condition. This will help to detect the onset of depression in time. Knowing the symptoms is important for both the unemployed person and his loved ones.

Key symptoms of “unemployment” depression:

• negative feelings of hopelessness, guilt, shame;
• apathy;
• lack of interest, indifference;
• loss of self-confidence;
• decreased activity, energy;
• fatigue.

Ways to get out of “unemployment” depression

There are several ways to overcome depression caused by problems finding a job. The best way is to get a job. Achieving the goal will lead to normalization of the psychological state and the illness will go away. Another effective option is the help of a psychologist or psychotherapist. Specialists will select the optimal treatment method.

More often, a person chooses another option - an independent solution to the problem. Here it is important to show character, willpower, perseverance and patience. Getting out of depression on your own is a great way to test yourself in extreme conditions.

Stages of getting out of depression

If depression has already taken root, it will not be possible to cope with the disease in two days. It will take a long and difficult process, which involves several stages:

1. You need to sort out your thoughts, fill the frightening uncertainty of the future with a clear awareness of the prospects.
2. Reorganize your thinking in a positive way. A person needs to think that millions of people are facing this situation. It is possible to survive it. Sooner or later there will be a way out. The main thing in this situation is to act, no matter how difficult it is. When a person constantly thinks that he cannot find a job, depression will develop rapidly. This is an objective process. Therefore, it is important to gradually rebuild your thinking. Every day I say in my thoughts that everything will be fine, nothing is unattainable, I will definitely be hired.
3. Think over an action plan. The goal is to get a job. Actions – daily viewing of vacancies, sending resumes, calls, interviews, online monitoring, reading useful articles about employment. It is important to stick to the plan, constantly do something, and not pay attention to numerous failures and difficulties.
4. Ask for support from family and friends. You can't be alone. Excellent support - playing sports, regular walks, visiting interesting places.
5. Seize every opportunity. If there is a problem with money, accept any offers. It’s better to find a simple job and earn the minimum wage, while looking at more suitable options, than to sit at home depressed.

Treatment

Depression is a mental disorder that requires treatment. A person can get out of the mild and moderate stages on his own. A severe and chronic form of the disease is a problem that a person can no longer cope with alone.

It is recommended to consult a psychotherapist or psychologist. This practice is not common in our country, but the situation is gradually changing. Private specialists appear. People get the opportunity to communicate with psychologists through various forums and social networks.

During the treatment process, the use of psychotherapy allows you to play out the scenario of dismissals and hiring. “Living through” a problematic situation allows you to relieve tension and restructure your thinking.

With the help of psychoanalysis, the treating specialist identifies the true causes of failures and problems when searching for a job. Often a person himself does not know that he is not subconsciously striving to look for a job. He wants to do some specific business, but social frameworks require him to get a job. All this leads to depression.

With the help of psychoanalysis, insight occurs, an understanding comes that the problem is not global, there are many solutions and ways out of the current situation. It is important that a person himself realizes the fallacy of his “decadent” state.

A psychologist helps an unemployed person see an objective picture of what is happening. Often, a subjective assessment does not allow us to notice obvious mistakes in behavior when looking for a job - rudeness when talking on the phone, excitement and confusion when answering an interview.

Psychologists say that in order to maintain your own interest in life and change your impressions, you need to change your job approximately every five years. But even those who do not follow this rule still face the problem of finding a new job at least several times in their lives.

But, as it turns out, even those who do this not for the first time make many mistakes. Can they be avoided? Of course, the most competent in this matter are those whose professional activities are directly related to the recruiting business. This time you will learn two opinions at once about the main mistakes that people looking for work most often make. Despite the fact that both of them belong to American specialists, all these tips are quite relevant for Russia, especially for those who want to find work in representative offices of large Western companies or simply in reputable Russian companies, says Beatytime.

The first of them was recently published by the American National Employment Counseling Association. Here's what, according to its experts, the 10 main mistakes of job seekers look like:

1. Bad resume. This piece of paper allows you to make a first impression. If the resume is bad, then there is a high probability that it will be thrown into the trash, and this will be the end of your attempt to get a job in this organization.
2. Finding a job using newspaper advertisements. This is a very ineffective method. In reality, information about no more than 10% of vacancies reaches newspaper pages. In addition, many job advertisements are dummies. They are published as advertising (if a company is recruiting staff, then its business is going uphill), used to collect commercial information (for example, in this way you can obtain information about the earnings levels of employees of competing companies), etc.
3. After sending your resume to this or that company, you expect that they will definitely call you or send you a letter. However, in reality this happens extremely rarely. The most polite companies may send a letter saying that they are delighted with your data, but have chosen another applicant for the position. The best way is to constantly call the HR department with reminders of your existence. Approximately 60% of positive responses are obtained as a result of such calls.
4. Finding a job exclusively with the help of friends. This is a very dangerous path. Your friends will never be involved in your affairs as actively as you expect. Of course, sometimes they can help you. But it is unreasonable to rely only on their efforts.
5. After the interview, you are not interested in who you should contact later. This is a very serious miscalculation. You should not be satisfied with answers like “thank you, we will definitely call you back.” Find out who you can call to find out about job prospects.
6. After the interview, you unsuccessfully try to contact the hiring manager and quit, deciding that your candidacy was rejected. The best way is to call the head of the department where you would like to work and remind him of your candidacy.
7. Search for work exclusively via the Internet. Many companies post information about available vacancies on their websites. However, you should not count on the goodwill of these companies. About a third of American firms keep such information on their websites in order to “accumulate” resumes. In approximately 10% of cases, information about vacancies is left on the site by mistake.
8. After the interview, you don't send a thank you note. There is a tradition in American companies that after every meeting with a representative of the company you would like to work for, you are required to write a similar letter (it’s called a “thank you letter”). If the company does not receive such a letter, it regards you as someone who is not familiar with the basics of business etiquette.
9. You would think that for any company, finding good employees is the number one priority. In fact, the main goal of any company is to make a profit. The second is maximum customer satisfaction. The third is satisfying the requests of the company owners, etc.
10. Your resume is all about past accomplishments. In this case, it is perceived as an obituary. You must focus on the future: the past can only help prove what you will be able to do in the future.

The second version about 10 mistakes made by job seekers was recently published by the large American recruiting company ProSpring. As you can see, their advice is somewhat different from the previous ones, or rather, complements them, and is intended rather for those who are looking for work not on their own, but through recruitment agencies. In general, it makes sense to listen to both.

1. You did not use precise instructions about how the company should obtain information about you. If the ad says that you need to send a letter by email, then you need to act that way, and not send faxes or letters. You never get a second opportunity to make a first impression. If you have shown that you initially do not want to use the established rules, then the first impression of you will be extremely negative and you will have no chance of getting a job.
2. You did not establish personal contact with the HR employee who interviewed you. Your personal impression is extremely important. Only the person who interviewed you can ensure that your candidacy is taken seriously.
3. Bad manners. These include, for example, demonstrative mailing of your resume to several dozen companies at once. It is also worth remembering the names of the companies where you sent information about yourself, so as not to get into trouble. And never insult HR employees.
4. You are applying for a job you don't understand. No comments. Pay attention to the language that is often included in job advertisements. For example, “the candidate MUST have such and such qualities and experience.”
5. Bad resume. Every day, recruiters are required to read dozens and hundreds of resumes. They don't have time to read each one and look for what they need. Therefore, you should write briefly and highlight particularly important information.
6. Practice email etiquette. Recruiters receive dozens and hundreds of resumes by email. To make their work easier and make a favorable impression, you should do one simple thing - call the attached file not resume.doc, but give it your name.
7. A poorly written or formatted resume. A resume is a way to test literacy, level of education and taste.
8. Misunderstanding the purpose of a resume. Your strengths should be presented in as much detail as possible and placed at the beginning of your resume. Weaknesses are worth mentioning in passing.
9. "Blank spots" of the biography. Quite often, resumes contain timing and logical problems. For example, it is indicated in detail what the author did in the period from 1998 to 1999 and from 2001 to 2003. But what happened to him in 1999-2001? In another case, the author, who has a university degree in information technology, reported that he worked as a salesman in a grocery store for two years. This situation is by no means uncommon, but recruiters need an explanation for it.
10. Show what you can do! The dream of any manager is a new employee who does not have to spend a lot of time training and retraining. Therefore, HR staff look for candidates who have the right skills. If your resume does not have these details, it is unlikely that it will be considered.

It often happens in life that a person cannot find a job. The appearance is attractive, there is enough experience, there is education, but still nothing succeeds. As a result, he falls into a deep depression and can no longer force himself to do anything.

Unsuccessful job searches can lead to depression

It is important to familiarize yourself with the main reasons for unsuccessful employment. Think about what kind of work will benefit others and be interesting.

Reasons for failure

Inflated expectations are a common occurrence. Can't find a job. I want ideal conditions. In this case, you need to realistically assess the situation and understand that with such requests the search may take a long time.

Consider different options and select the most attractive among them.

Bad resume

Often, applicants provide information that the employer is not interested in. They describe an experience from a previous place that has nothing to do with the new one. They write about skills that are not needed for a new job.

The task of a resume is to display the best aspects of the applicant, to show that he is a worthy candidate for this vacancy.

Inappropriate qualifications

The person studied at the university for 5-6 years. The profession has become irrelevant in the labor market, and graduates cannot get a job.

He needs to go to work that will not bring him pleasure. In such situations, it is better to retrain and become a specialist in the industry that you like.

Poor preparation for an interview

The first thing a recruiter pays attention to is appearance. Often people are irresponsible about this and come to an interview in casual clothes. Some men allow themselves to come in sports shoes, which is not allowed.

The second mistake is being late. It is better to arrive 5-10 minutes earlier.

Other indicators of poor preparation:

• disinterest;
• inadequate salary expectations;
• excessive criticism of former management;
• lack of basic education;
• refusal to complete a test task or undergo a probationary period, etc.

The most common reason for refusal of cooperation is false information in the resume. Trying to idealize himself, a person crosses boundaries and creates a portrait that does not correspond to him.

Lack of experience or long break

Now everyone needs workers with experience. It is advisable that the period be at least 1 year. This significantly slows down the search process for university students or graduates.

A long break is a problem for many mothers. While on maternity leave, they lose their qualifications.

It is important to engage in personal growth in parallel with the search. It is worth convincing the manager or recruiter of your competence.

Basic mistakes

A person rejects options that are imposed by society as unworthy.

A common stereotype is low pay. This applies to vacancies that do not require higher education, special skills or experience. The main thing is to work hard and hard.

Among these professions:

• couriers;
• waiters;
• baristas;
• animators;
• movers;
• administrators, etc.

If you want to make money, then you need to try to do it. Sometimes a regular courier has a higher salary than an office employee.

Barista is one of the positions that you can get without qualifications.

Wrong search method

Reviewing all the vacancies in a row, hoping to see the right one, is not the best option. Systematization helps in any matter. Decide on the desired location and salary level. For this purpose, there are filters on thematic sites.

Another case is the search for a leadership position. If a person is looking for it in newspaper advertisements, then the search is doomed to failure. A prestigious company places such information only on its website or on labor exchanges.

Outdated views

Some people never think about starting their own business. It is easier for them to find an employer, keep records in the work book and receive a pension at the end of their work experience. Those who have tried to work for themselves will not enrich others.

Among the alternative options for earning money are the following:

• freelancing;
• investment;
• own business;
• network marketing.

If a person has low self-esteem, you need to fight it. Always strive to become the best version of yourself.

Freelancing is a great option for alternative income

Why is it difficult to find a good job?

A person at any age wants to have a decent job. Enjoy what you do and benefit others. Even with the necessary experience, education and personal qualities, you cannot get the desired position. As a result, the applicant becomes depressed and despairs.

Other reasons why searches are delayed:

1. Poor location of the company. Traveling to the office for more than 1 hour is an option that suits few.
2. Low salary. While some people need work for pleasure, others need it to pay for their needs.
3. Boring or dead-end job. The opportunity for career growth and full disclosure of one's potential is an important component of professional activity.

Another reason for a long job search is the fear of taking action. The applicant knows what he needs, but is afraid to send a resume or attend an interview; he believes that his knowledge and skills are not enough for the desired vacancy.

Advice from recruiters: if it's hard to find a job, be humble. There is no need to demand a high salary without demonstrating your own skills or without having a wealth of experience. Start small, develop to become a specialist, and then you won’t have to despair when looking for a job.

Solution

Career coaches advise conducting psychoanalysis and understanding your life goals. Write down your strengths and weaknesses on a piece of paper. This will help you understand which work to avoid and which to pay attention to:

• think about what inspires you to work;
• analyze where you get your vital energy from;
• Decide what is closer to your soul: creativity, working with technology, people.

Having decided on an approximate list of vacancies, begin your development. Read professional literature, visit the necessary forums. If you have work experience in the desired field, you can improve your qualifications. An easy way is paid courses. Their duration is 3-6 months.

Attend various events, you can acquire useful contacts, among them may be an employer who is looking for new employees after dismissing old ones. According to the rules of good manners, it is correct to ask only general information about the vacancy. It is better to exchange contacts and make an appointment.

Talk to people who already occupy the desired position, find out the necessary information. This will help you understand whether your expectations match reality.

First you need to make a list of acceptable vacancies

How to tune in

An effective method is affirmations. These are positive statements that work through self-hypnosis.

List of current affirmations:

• I am a good specialist;
• Any employer is happy to hire me;
• the search for work is fruitful;
• I almost found my dream job;
• I have sufficient knowledge for this position;
• I am always attentive to details;
• my qualities are suitable for this job;
• I am successful, punctual, full of strength and energy, etc.

Anyone who doesn't try hard can't find a job. A positive attitude before an interview is the key to success. At first you will need to force yourself to pronounce these statements, later they will sound in your voice involuntarily.

How to find work for different categories of people

Finding a job is a sensitive topic for young mothers on maternity leave, students and retirees. They do not want to hire young mothers and students full-time due to the inability to create an accurate schedule.

For pensioners, the reason is different - limited physical activity. Health problems prevent the increase in productivity that management requires.

There is a solution to such problems: freelancing. The customer does not care what age, social status, or education the performer has. What is important is the fact that work is completed in which all requirements are taken into account. When searching for a performer, his reputation is considered. To test the real skills of an employee, he should do a test task. If successful, long-term cooperation is possible. Advantages of working as a freelancer:

• payment by bank card 1-2 days after placing the order;
• Only the employee’s professional skills are assessed;
• you can work remotely;
• To work, you only need skills, the Internet and the necessary software.

The main convenience is that work can be done at any time of the day. It is important to submit it within the pre-agreed deadline. The better the skills, the higher the need for such a worker.

Conclusion

Looking for a job is always hard. Unsuitable working conditions, low pay, remoteness from the place of residence - there are many reasons. It is important to make a plan according to which the search will be carried out. Before doing this, think about what your favorite job should be.

Young mothers, students and retirees now also have no problems finding work. There are alternative sources of income. The most popular is freelancing. Any work must be approached responsibly and prepared in advance. Poor preparation can cause another refusal.

Almost every job seeker at the very beginning of his job search is confident that he will be lucky and a new suitable job will be found quickly, without any problems. However, the search for a job often drags on for many months. If you find yourself in such a situation, let’s figure out how to present it advantageously at an interview, and at the same time, how to quickly find a great job.

Looking through job options

When starting to look for a new job, only a small part of job seekers know exactly which vacancies they should consider and which ones they shouldn’t devote their time to. The more specific the goal, the more accurate the final result. By the way, recruiters, looking through candidates’ resumes, clearly see those who have not decided what they would like to do. An employer always gives preference to someone who is specifically seeking to fill a very specific vacancy. When trying to cover as many open positions as possible, don't be vague about your skills in different professions. This may alert more than one recruiter, and as a result, increase the time you spend searching for a new job.

Unrealistic expectations and requests of job seekers are another headache for the recruiter, and at the same time the reason for the delay in employment for the job seeker himself. If you are a high-level specialist, then, of course, you can qualify for the upper salary limit in your specialty. But this is true in cases where the future employer himself comes to you and offers you an employment contract. If you are looking for a job on your own, then it is advisable to slightly lower your financial expectations - this will give you more options for an interview.

According to analytical surveys, the higher the position for which the applicant applies, the more time is spent searching for a suitable job. So the search for a leadership position may well last from six months to nine months.

Rewrite your resume

If your search for a new job begins to drag on suspiciously, then, first of all, pay attention to your resume and make your adjustments to it in a timely manner.

In open sources, on recruiting sites, it is best to have the most detailed resume reflecting your skills in a key profession. The one for which you first of all want to get a job. And it is advisable to immediately indicate the position you are looking for in the title. Write specifically. For example, “manager” is a deliberately losing option, since it is not clear to the recruiter whether you are looking for the position of sales manager, purchasing manager, or whether you are a customer service or personnel specialist.

When considering a specific vacancy, do not send your standard resume in response to it. Yes, you will have to spend 15 minutes more than usual and study a little the employer’s requirements, and at the same time slightly rewrite your basic resume to suit it. And that's not all, if you want to stand out from hundreds of similar responses. Take the time to craft your cover letter and succinctly explain why you are the right person for the position. It would seem to be an elementary truth, but, according to recruiters, most applicants do not bother writing this short letter at all.

If your job search drags on for a long time, then it’s time to start educating yourself. Even if you are a good expert in your field, there may have been changes in the industry within a few months or a year, and it is advisable for you to stay abreast of new trends. And your resume will contain more recent lines about your achievements, which will be a significant bonus during an interview with a potential employer.

What should you tell the recruiter?

One of the major challenges faced by job seekers with a protracted job search is the interview process. Just one question “why can’t you find a job for so long” unsettles the applicant. When answering, do not accuse other employers of bias towards your candidacy or anything else. It is better to stick with a pre-prepared version of the following options:

• — Break for family reasons. We all have periodic moments when family issues come to the fore. But in this case, it is advisable not to specify exactly what situation forced you to leave your previous job. However, it will be very helpful if you let the recruiter know that now family problems have been resolved and you are ready to start working again;
• — Weighted analysis of incoming proposals. If a job seeker, out of desperation, is ready to take on any job and demonstrates this at an interview, then he is following a losing path. Therefore, it would not be shameful if you let the employer know that you considered the offers you received, but did not find one that would meet your expectations and skills. By the way, be prepared that in the next question you will be asked to voice these same expectations;
• — The need to recuperate and rest for several months. If your job involves a lot of stress, then it is quite natural to want to take a break before starting to look for a new job. However, it would be better if you tell the recruiter that you combined business with pleasure and, during your vacation, spent several months learning some skill in your specialty. This is a manifestation of an active professional position, and it will not go unnoticed by the employer.

A long job search often indicates that the applicant is choosing the wrong strategy for communicating with a potential employer. A clear understanding of the essence of the job you are looking for, active interaction with recruiters, searching for vacancies in various sources and the ability to explain the reasons for a long break in work experience - all this will definitely yield a result in the form of a suitable new job.