Spelling and Grammatical Errors
This is the biggest mistake anyone can make with a job application cover letter. Proofread your letter and ask a friend to do so as well. Take care over the letter.

A simple spelling mistake effectively says to the prospective employer, “I do not care about what I do, and I will be this sloppy or careless in work I will do for you too.” You certainly would not consider employing anyone who said this in an interview, so why should a prospective employer bother to interview you, if you cannot bother to double check what you wrote in your cover letter.

Starting Every Sentence with an “I”
While you want to market your skills and abilities to the prospective employer, starting every single sentence with “I can do…”, “I have done…” etc, is tedious to read and is not effective. You need to add interest to the letter by writing in a way that avoids repetition, and starting every sentence or paragraph the same way.

Try other sentence beginnings, such as, “In my role as xxx, I achieved …” or “My experience in xxx is extensive, or “With 20 years experience in xxx, I will provide your company with …”, or “This role is similar to my position at xxx.”

As well as not starting every sentence with “I” or the same style of beginning, avoid the use of “I” too many times in the letter.

Creative Desktop Publishing
This is a business letter, not a brochure. Avoid using desktop publishing programs such as Microsoft Publisher and adding clip art, effects, or fancy fonts. Choose an accepted generic font like Arial, Times New Roman, or Verdana. Keep sub-headings to a minimum and use a simple bold to accentuate the sub-headings, rather than italics or any other fancy font. The font size should be a visible 12 point.

Making the Letter Too Short
A cover letter is supposed to be a vehicle to explain to prospective employers why you should be employed and how you meet the selection criteria for the position. Simply stating, “Please find my attached CV in application for the position of Managing Director,” will not win you an interview for the job. Make sure you address the selection criteria mentioned in the job advertisement or position description. A cover letter should be one to two pages at the most, properly formatted. Writing concisely is good, but ensure you include enough detail to market yourself to a prospective employer.

The 500 Word Paragraph
Break up your paragraphs. A cover letter should not be one lengthy paragraph with a salutation at the top and a signature at the bottom. Try to address one or two selection criteria that go together in each paragraph. Each sentence should have between eight to 15 words, and each paragraph should contain two to three sentences.

Talking Nonsense or in Strange Language
No-one actually says, “Please find enclosed herewith my CV.” Although the job application is a formal document, use every day language. “My CV is attached for your information,” is fine.

Another common error is trying too hard to sound impressive, and ending up not making sense at all. Re-read your sentences and ensure you have not said something strange, or a sentence that cannot be understood by a normal business person. One teacher wrote the following in a real cover letter, “I am a conduit for mainstream educational formal connections and I work to build an individual’s creative forms.” Huh? Write in every day language to make your letter clear.

Making the Reader Squint
You know that a cover letter should never be more than two pages long, but you have so much to say that you reduce the font down to such a small size to make your letter fit. Instead of reducing the font, write your letter using concise language and use fewer words. A good cover letter should have a wide margin of two or three centimetres on both sides, and will use 12 point size font.

Using Handwriting
The only place handwriting should appear on the cover letter is your signature. Handwriting a cover letter shows a lack of interest in the position, especially in a technological era where computers are easily accessible. Borrow a computer if you have to but always type or word process your cover letter. It looks more professional. One of the worse mistakes people make is handwriting a couple of sentences on a post it note and sticking it on the resume as if it was a cover letter. Write a proper letter or don’t bother applying for the job.

Not Including All Required Details
Often job applicants forget to include all contact details on the cover letter, or assume that the resume will have these details. However, it is possible for prospective employers to separate cover letters from resumes. Therefore, you need to make sure all the details are included in the cover letter.

Cover letters should start with your contact details including your name, a full address (not a post office box as this makes it look as if you are a transient), email contact and telephone contact numbers. This should appear on the top right hand side of the page. Below this, with a line space in between, the receiver’s contact details including name, position, company name and address should appear on the left hand side of the page.

Leave a space line after the address and then insert the date, spelling out the month in full. Leave another space line before the salutation. You should include the details of the position you are applying for, in case the company is currently recruiting for several jobs. Include a handwritten signature at the bottom of the cover letter.

Justifying Right and Bad Formatting
Justifying text right means that big gaps appear in the cover letter and this makes the letter harder to read. Keep a professional appearance to the cover letter with plenty of ‘white space’. Every paragraph should be separated by a line of white space, as this makes the letter easier to read. You do not want a prospective employer deciding not to interview you, simply because your letter was too hard to read due to bad formatting. Make sure the letter looks professional.

Avoiding these ten common mistakes will help you to write a better cover letter. Proofread and double check what you are sending, before you sign the bottom of the page. Your cover letter is an important facet of the job application process and you need to spend some time and care on writing the cover letter properly.

Provide a specific example of a time when you supported a team to execute a successful task or project.

The Intention: When a prospective employer is asking you a question on your role in supporting a team, he/she is testing you to see whether you claim a leadership role or a supportive role. While the interviewer is not asking if you are a leader with this question, he/she is asking whether you are capable of effectively working on a team.

The Response: Avoid injecting your ego into the response. While it is tempting to always highlight your leadership abilities, take this opportunity to discuss how you support your colleagues and supervisors. Use a specific example to demonstrate how you are able to interact with different departments and roles. In the example give credit to your former colleagues for their efforts. Finish the example with a comment on how this was one instance where you were in a support role but that you either feel comfortable taking the lead on a project or that you have taken the lead on projects in the past.

Have you ever managed a project?

The Intention: This question essentially assesses where you are in your career path. If you were not in a management role in your last position, many times potential employers will ask this question in order to ascertain if management responsibility has been conferred to you in the past.

The Response: If you have had the opportunity to take on the leadership role in a team, take this opportunity to discuss your leadership skills with a specific example to show that you are an effective leader. Also mention that you are comfortable supporting a team and that you worked with the same colleagues in a variety of roles, from leader to follower, in order to build in the interviewer’s mind your team-playing spirit. If you have not had the opportunity to lead a project or task, be honest but offer an example of when you have been successful in leading an independent task or of how you have been assigned responsibility progressively in your career.

Provide a specific example of a time when a colleague was not performing on a project or task and what you did to support their success on the task.

The Intention: With this difficult question, the interviewer is most often trying to associate something specific with your promises of being a team-player. Oftentimes, employers are most impressed with individuals who are able to perform on a team without eliciting negative feelings from colleagues.

The Response: Your response to this question should detail a time when you helped a colleague in need. In order to demonstrate how you support your team, cite an example where you stepped in to help a colleague who was struggling but did not use it to ingratiate yourself with management.

How do you see your fit into this team?

The Intention: With this question, the prospective employer is assessing your understanding of the position and your ability to assimilate into the existing team structure. Knowing that you cannot possibly understand how the team interacts, the interviewer is asking this question in order to understand, one, if your skills match the position and complement the existing skill set, and two, if your soft-skills are malleable enough to mold into any essential role which is currently void.

The Response: Approach the response to this question keeping in mind that a complete answer must address both your hard-skills and your soft-skills. For example, you might cite that you are coming into the position with the content knowledge and competencies required to carry out the duties associated with the position as well as the team-spirit to fit wherever necessary to ensure that the team and the company is successful.

How do you handle issues with colleagues where there may be negative feelings?

The Intention: Personal feelings aside, can you work towards success with colleagues who have opposing personalities? This question aims at the heart of how you resolve conflict within a team.

The Response: A great response to this question highlights your ability to minimise your personal feelings while in the workplace. Try approaching this question with a statement demonstrating how you segregate your personal feelings from your professional decision-making and interactions. Insist on how you do not allow your pride to interfere with performing on a task. Take advantage of this opportunity to describe your skills in diplomacy.

Who was your favorite manager or supervisor? What traits did he/she have that made her a good or effective leader?

The Intention: This question provides the interviewer with several important insights on a job-seeker. Prospective employers are looking for great candidates who can lead and follow, who can identify leadership traits, exercise them, and fall in line to follow when these skills are demonstrated in management. This question also provides the interviewer with a hint on your feelings on your most recent supervisor and a basis from which to judge what you expect in a manager.

The Response: If at all possible, respond to this question praising your most recent supervisor for his/her excellent managerial skills, no matter how you really feel. Choose two or three specific leadership skills and assign them to him/her and provide specific feedback on why these skills led to the functioning of a successful team. For example, you might say that your former supervisor was a great leader because not only did he/she act as a great resource of support with an open-door policy, but also that he/she always stood by her people. Always mention how much you learned from him/her.

At the face-to-face interview highlight your team-building and team-support skills. Take advantage of these questions to formulate responses that promote your willingness to work cooperatively and show potential employers that you are an asset to their teams.

For more interview help, click here for details of our double DVD and CD interview pack – described by the Daily Mail as, ‘The Perfect Interview!‘

Salary requirements and salary history are a quick way for employers to cull out applicants who are beyond the pay scope of the job. Having this information early in the interview game offers employers the advantage of seeing if a qualified applicant might be available at a highly reduced rate, based on their past pay.

With a salary history, employers are looking at the frequency and percentage of raises and promotions over an applicant’s career in order to gauge their potential for growth. The problem with this is that not all organisations provide salary increases based on merit or accomplishments.

Either way, it’s a question you want to gracefully avoid.

When asked to give this information on an application, it is best to maneuver around the topic by writing, “Will discuss during the interview”. Providing potential employers this information before meeting gives them the opportunity to judge your accomplishments simply on a pay scale, rather than your actual past contributions.

Not answering, or avoiding, early in the game gives you the upper hand. Biding your time until you have the opportunity to explain your strengths, accomplishments, and future contributions is the safest approach to take. It is in your best interest to hold off answering this question as long as possible, avoiding giving a specific number until negotiation time.

Once they are clearly interested in you for your specific skill set, attitude and personality, then you are in a position to talk salary—preferably in a face-to-face interview.

First, lead with your salary requirements, giving them a broad range of what you will accept. Make sure that you have researched the marketplace and know what a fair market value is for the specific job in which you are interested. With that information in hand, you also want to consider the requirements for the position and the actual functions of the job. Once you have an outline of what the job entails, you are in a better position to put a number on it.

Remember: what you accomplished in your previous jobs is more important than what you were paid. Be willing to push your strengths and abilities, while saving the money talk for the appropriate time.

Finally, don’t get so caught up in a number that you miss the overall scope of what the company has to offer you. Getting a salary that benefits both parties requires negotiation, not assumptions. Beyond pay, there may be other benefits offered that make up for a smaller salary. Be willing to negotiate and compromise, and make that clear.

For more interview help, click here for details of our double DVD and CD interview pack – described by the Daily Mail as, ‘The Perfect Interview!‘

Criticise your boss and colleagues
Since you’ll never need to ask your boss for a recommendation, let her know just what you think of her unreasonable demands and lackluster managing skills. And as for your colleagues, you’ll probably never end up in the same office again, so don’t hold back on pointing out their annoying habits.

Shirk responsibilities
Why bother to put in a 100% effort if there’s no immediate payoff for you? Relax. Let somebody else write that report or lead that meeting. Nobody will notice you shirking. Your replacement can always pull a couple all-nighters to catch up on missed deadlines.

Brag about your new office
Everyone wants to hear about how your new office has a pool table, company-sponsored happy hours and benefits to die for. Don’t forget to announce that you’ll be getting paid far more than your current job, too. Anyone who’s bothered is probably just jealous.

Refuse to train your replacement
He can figure it out on his own. You’d rather spend your last few days relaxing before you start your new job. At the most, toss your replacement an outdated printout of your job description. If he emails with questions once you’ve already left, remind him you no longer work there.

Mistreat your ex-colleagues
Once you’ve started your new job, just ignore emails or phone calls from ex-colleagues. Or, ask about the latest office gossip and get miffed when they decline to share. Don’t forget to tell them how much better your new job is, and express condescending pity that they weren’t as lucky.

The best thing about burning your bridges is that it’s so easy to do—and so satisfying! On the other hand, if you’re one of that strange breed who believes in professional integrity and the value of networking, your approach is just as simple: don’t do any of the five steps above.

Desktop Support
Desktop Support is the starting point for most information technology careers. A Desktop Support employee is responsible for fixing computers and upgrading software. Installing printers and cables are also a part of the job description. Most beginners start with a job in Desktop Support and find a favorite area in information technology in which to specialise.

Database Administrator
A Database Administrator (DBA) is a high paid career path in information technology. The database administrator is responsible for the company’s data security and integrity. Depending on the size of the organisation, a Database Administrator may manage one or several servers. These servers are an integral part of a network structure, so taking a career as a DBA is a demanding job. You are expected to watch server logs, keep the software up-to-date, maintain backups, and provide the organisation with disaster recovery plans. The Database Administrator commands a high salary, but the job is demanding and stressful. Most upgrades require the DBA to perform maintenance after normal business hours, keeping you at the office late at night.

Web Designer
A Web Designer is an information technology career path for those people who have a flair for graphics. Web designers have the least stressful career path. However, the web designer’s longevity at one company may be limited. A Web Designer’s responsibility is creating CSS layouts, logos, graphics, and providing the company with a branded website. Unless the company is constantly rebranding its website, the web designer may find himself without work. This career path is beneficial to people who prefer a constant change in environment. The Web Designer also works closely with the developers, so having some programming knowledge is beneficial.

Application Engineer
Application Engineers design the custom software created for internal corporate use. The career path of an Application Engineer encompasses web development and desktop software programming. An Application Engineer works with Project Managers and key business personnel to provide extensive usability and interaction with corporate data. With this career, you work directly with Database Administrators and Web Designers. A programming language of choice is usually a part of the career path. If you prefer Windows desktops, the best languages to learn are VB.NET or C#. Linux users need the knowledge of Java and PHP.

Network Administrator
The Network Administrator is an information technology career path that focuses on network topology and design. Many network administrators also maintain servers and desktops. For large companies, the Network Administrators are distinct from the desktop support team, and his duties are mainly router and server maintenance. The Network Administrator is also responsible for security of the network, providing strong firewall planning to prevent a breach. Many Network Administrators work long hours, and they are required to be available at all times. Maintenance periods are normally after-hours, so some weekends and late nights are expected.

All of these career paths are fulfilling jobs. The fun part of an information technology career is the opportunity to work with the latest in computer innovations. If you have no experience in the field, take some college classes, study for certifications, or install the software and hardware of interest at home. This career is fast-paced, interesting, and keeps you learning new technology every year.

The most important lesson for the job seeker in an IT interview is never be afraid to say, “I don’t know.” The IT world is so vast that it is impossible for one person to know everything and it is easy to get in over your head by pretending that you do. You want to answer each question with certainty and honesty instead of fumbling around with guesses.

On a CV, you should only list the technologies and platforms with which you are familiar and actually worked with. A mistake many IT job seekers make is listing familiarity with a technology just because their company used it and not themselves personally. If your interviewer is familiar with the technology he may stump you with questions that should be obvious to someone who is using it. Again, honesty will always work best.

If you are a programmer, always have a sample of your code prepared to show the interviewer if they should ask for it. They don’t always ask, but it is better to be prepared. You needn’t bring in an entire program bound together in a bulky four-inch binder, just five or six pages, perhaps a complete sub-routine. Being prepared with like this always leaves a good impression with interviewers.

Lastly, be aware of how your contributions can benefit the company as a whole. An IT company is not working with technology for the sake of technology. They are a business and usually intend to make money. Understand how your IT work fits into the business side of the company and present this at the interview to hit home just how valuable you are and will be for the company. IT personnel who do not understand the business side of the company only show that they are lacking either enthusiasm and/or competence.

These few easy guidelines will get you far in your interview and get your interviewer wanting to know more. It could mean the difference between walking through that front door and hitting the pavement once more.

For more interview help, click here for details of our double DVD and CD interview pack – described by the Daily Mail as, ‘The Perfect Interview!‘

When looking for a job you may see that many organisations or newspapers, even internet providers compile various lists detailing the best companies to work for, where graduates can get the best deals and so on. Yet how can graduates really know which is a good company to work for and which is a bad company?

Well the first thing to bear in mind is that some of the ‘lists’ that you see may be compiled by bodies that have a vested interest in promoting a particular company. So they may not be unbiased! Also, many of the companies that appeared in various ‘Good Company Guides’ were associated with the financial sector and as a result of the recession, many have simply disappeared. So they may have appeared in 2008 guides, but have not changed into bad employers: they have simply ceased trading!

Even those such as KPMG (although an international firm, it was listed in the UK Sunday Times’ famous list of ‘Best Companies to Work for 2008’) may have been a model company in 2008 but after the financial crises that followed some employees found that the work environment changed. Firms that had been able to offer graduates really secure employment now find that they are simply unable to do this, because they simply do not know what the future will bring. So whenever you come across a new survey/report or list purporting to tell graduates which are the best company to work for, treat it with caution: what was true today may not be true tomorrow!

Graduates also need to be aware that all this uncertainty has made competition in the employment field very fierce and they may find that every position attracts a whole host of candidates. It may be worth racking up some experience before approaching companies that you perceive as being good. Or you may even want to think about whether or not the company is financially secure and can offer security.

One of the traditionally renowned ‘best’ companies for graduates to work for was the Britannia Building Society based in England. The Britannia was a Building Society and looked financially well placed to withstand the financial crises of late 2008 and early 2009. It was ranked as one of the top 5 UK companies to work for in 2008, according to the Sunday Times newspaper: but early in 2009 it announced that it was to merge with another financial institution and rumours are now rife about job cuts and redundancy.

The moral of the tale is never to assume that because a company is desirable one year that this will still be the case next year. Times move on, personnel change and cultures/environments change. So there are no hard and fast ‘good’ companies.

However, according to the not for profit organisation, the ‘Great Place to Work Institute UK’ the most desirable company to work for in the UK in the year 2008 was…. Google! UK based, but not UK owned, nor it would seem, with a UK approach to work.

Less corporate or globalised companies making it onto the same Institute’s list include Asthma UK, proving that UK companies can be a desirable place to work. But the first two on the list are both international companies, not UK based, or UK owned companies.

So what makes a good company to work for? Well there are no hard and fast rules. If you are a person who thrives in a large, corporate environment then you are going to feel pretty unfulfilled working in a small office where all power rests in the hands of the Managing Director. But others may relish the opportunity to work in a small and almost intimate work setting.

There are, however, some general rules that companies apply in order to set them apart from the rest. Companies like the Britannia or the Co-Operative ‘Group’ etc have long since adopted ethical stances on issues such as treating workers fairly, ensuring they adopt positive community profiles etc. They view workers as valuable assets. The happier workers are the more likely they are to stay and they will play fair when it comes to time off sick or medical appointments etc. Graduates generally find that an environment where their input is valued and appreciated and they are given the opportunity to positively influence things can make a huge difference to work.

Studies into what constitutes a good company to work for in the UK also state that if employees (graduates particularly) have small freedoms then a company be seen as good, so if employees can move their desks, adjust lighting, influence decision making etc, then they will say they work for a good company.

Many companies, particularly the larger, international companies are keen to ensure that they are perceived as a good company and have made significant steps towards achieving a good balance between financial survival and ensuring employees are kept happy. This mainly relies on working practices that are based on people not necessarily working harder, but certainly working smarter and perhaps having greater freedom to work from home, or come into the office when they feel like working etc. However, some UK firms have still to adopt this approach, but hopefully the benefits will be seen and this kind of philosophy will start to permeate throughout the workplace as a whole, dependent on the economy picking up again.

So the whole picture is not as it was even 6 months ago, but there are good companies out there and you can find them if you research companies prior to interview and ensure that you ask relevant and appropriate questions at interview: but remember these are difficult times and competition will be fierce!

Part-time Work

As part-time work does not involve putting in the same number of hours as a full-time position, it is an obvious option for anyone wanting to alter their work-life balance. The downside of this is the reduced pay in relation to full-time work. If you can afford to become a part-time employee and still be able to pay for all of your outgoings, it may be worth considering this option.

Freelancing

To many people, freelancing seems like the perfect career for striking a healthy work-life balance. This can be misleading though. In theory, being able to work from home should give you the freedom to work as and when you please, but this is often not the case for the majority of freelance workers. For many freelancers, being able to work from home simply means that work has even more of an opportunity to take over your free time, especially as it can be difficult to “switch off” from work fully when you are not physically leaving work behind in an office (or any other physical place of employment) at the end of a working day. Because of this, freelancing is not a career option that automatically results in a better work-life balance. It depends heavily on how easily you can separate your work life from your work.

While there is probably no set career that will definitely improve your work-life balance, there are working patterns (such as freelancing and part-time employment) that can be flexible enough to help you take steps in the right direction. If your current work-life balance is making you unhappy, changing your working patterns may be a good option, although there is no guarantee that this will have a positive impact on your work-life balance either.

But what is the reality in the UK in 2009? First of all, one of the major disadvantages of freelancing is the perennial problem of clients refusing to pay for services rendered, or just taking their time in paying. But no business is unaffected by this. All over the country there are businesses folding, simply because they were unable to get money owed to them. So instead of freelancers feeling like it was ‘just them’, now everyone is experiencing the same kinds of problems. Things may be difficult for freelancers, but on the other hand, things are pretty bad all round, so they are not alone.

Banks and other lenders may be more circumspect about lending to freelancers, but if you have 3 years of accounts to demonstrate that you can make your way and pay your bills, then you will not experience significantly more problems than anyone else. Again, there is much more of a level playing field now. Prior to the banking collapse, freelancers were seen as risky, those in paid employment a safe bet: now no one has a job for life, so why not take a punt on a freelancer?

Another major disadvantage to being a freelancer is being isolated. Often people complain that they don’t have colleagues to bounce things off and feel they don’t want to talk to others in the field because they are worried about competitors trying to poach clients etc. But there is an easy way round that, which is simply to have a pool of friends/former colleagues, even family members, whose opinion you trust. Then if you feel isolated or have a work problem that you cannot solve on your own, either email them or better still, pick up the phone and have a chat! Often just talking through the problem will help!

Now the final major disadvantage of being a freelancer has to be being self disciplined. That can often be a big problem: when the weather is hot and sunny and you just want to laze around in the sun, can you really be bothered to chase new work coming in? Conversely, some freelancers may find that they take on too much work and end up exhausted and unable to maintain the relentless pace of work, resenting what they first saw as their dream coming true.

So that’s the bad. What about the good?

Well, there is too much good to write about in one article. But if you have determination, passion and love what you do, then freelancing is for you. You can be master of your own destiny (so long as clients pay) you can choose when you work, when you don’t want to work. If you work at home you can work in your pyjamas and then get dressed when you feel like it. If you are not a morning person, then you can simply arrange for all your meetings or commissions to start at a time to suit you (within reason). You can even turn down commissions/work if you don’t like the client or have a feeling that you will not get on (or they won’t pay). OK this is really bad business sense, but it really does give you a feeling of self worth and control over your own destiny.

One thing that all freelancers should try to do is to get some money behind them before embarking on freelance work. This can help to tide you over when times are tough or the Inland Revenue are demanding more money than you thought they would ask for (this happens). You may also have to accept that no matter how qualified and skilled you are, there are times when you may have to accept low paying jobs/commissions, simply to keep things ticking over. So be proud, but not too proud that you suffer financially if things are tight. You should also remember that it is a case of being known and recommended, so doing a good job on a low paying job, may catch you some better paid work in the future.

Freelancers should also remember that what they are doing is fulfilling a dream, taking control over their work life and believing in themselves enough to make that dream come true. That is priceless, beyond measure and cannot be over emphasised as the major advantage to freelance work. Or you can simply remain a wage slave…..

• Look for jobs: This is, of course, the most obvious thing you need to do when you lose your job. Your job search will probably occupy at least a few hours a day, and depending on the job you are looking for this can mean working on your CV and cover letter, or it can mean filling out applications. It can mean searching for jobs online at sites, looking in local classified ads, or driving around looking for “Help Wanted” signs.
• Network: “Network” is just fancy way to say meet people. Regardless of the type of job you are looking for, the more people you get to know, the more likely you are to meet someone who knows about a job opportunity that may be right for you. For you, networking may mean going to business conferences, making new contacts on social networking sites, or just attending social functions such as parties or church gatherings.
• Pick up new skills: The types of skills that will improve your chances of getting a job will vary depending on what kind of work you’re looking for. Maybe you could work on your typing skills or learn to use a new computer program such as Microsoft Excel or QuickBooks. Public libraries and community colleges often offer free or low cost classes in computer skills, and libraries usually have books detailing how to use different computer programs. Working on your Spanish or another language could also help you land your next job, especially if you are looking for a job in customer service or human resources. Consider using online tutorials or books and educational DVDs from your local library or bookstore to improve.
• Keep a regular schedule: If you got up at 6:30 every morning when you were working, keep getting up at 6:30. It may be hard to get out of bed when you have nowhere to go, but you’ll be more likely to be productive if you maintain your normal sleep patterns and schedule. After all, looking for a job is your new job, even if your new office is your kitchen table.
• Get out of the house: Let’s face it – losing your job can be terrifying, stressful, and depressing. Sitting around the house all day, even if you are searching for jobs while you do it, is bound to add to your feelings of anxiety and depression. Make sure you get out of the house for a while every day, even if it’s just to head down to the local Starbucks or library to cruise the net for jobs.
• Keep moving: Arguably the best natural way to improve your mood and keep your spirits high is to exercise. Whether it means going down to the gym, doing a workout video, or just taking your dog on a long walk, make sure to get some exercise everyday to boost your energy and keep you feeling good during your job search.

Feeling discouraged is natural for anyone who has lost a job; the important thing is to not let depression get in your way and keep you finding a new job. With these tips, along with patience, perseverance, and support from those you love, you are bound to get through this.