When the Job Search Gets Too Frustrating

GL Hoffman

So a job seeker asks: What do I do when I get depressed about my job search? I have sent my resume out to hundreds of companies in the last few months and I have not gotten one single interview. This is so frustrating.

Most career coaches give good advice, i.e. "Hang in there." or "It's not you, it's this economy," and "Keep trying, re-do your resume, try networking, volunteer more." You get the picture.

I have some more advice for this particular job seeker. Maybe I am feeling all curmudgeonly today.

No kidding, searching for a job is tough business--hard, even, and frustrating certainly. Oh well. You are not the victim here. You can use Google to find all kinds of tips and ideas on job hunting. But:

This advice is for all of you who think learning how to be a positive person is all namby-pamby--and for someone else, not you. And that somehow, it's for multilevel marketers, sales reps and entrepreneurs.

Employers don't need you dragging your butt into the interview chair, moaning and groaning about how bad things are. Businesses today want can-do applicants who are skilled contributors. If you choose to bring your "can't-do, ain't it awful" attitude to the job interview, don't expect a positive response.

But, more than that, your attitude shows up earlier--it impacts how you search, how excited you can get over an opening, how you write your cover letter, and even what you voice sounds like when you call someone to network.

What to do now? Maybe the negativity is baked in too far, that might be the case. That sucks. But I happen to believe you can resolve to change, that you can hang around more positive people. And learn from them.

You can do it. You need to do it. Now is the time to change. You can't get a pill for it. it is going to take hard work. If you start now, you will be better prepared for the next time that you get thrown a curveball.

G.L. Hoffman is a serial entrepreneur and venture investor/operator/incubator/mentor. Two of his companies have traveled the entire success path from the garage to IPO. Currently, he is chairman of JobDig, and his blog can be found at WhatWouldDadSay.com or at JobDig.com.