Discouraged workers, don’t give up on your job hunt.

A drawn-out job hunt can wound morale, diminish motivation and lead to discouragement. Through this article, I aim to bring about some inspiration for all you job seekers who are experiencing troubles and various challenges.

If you are currently unemployed, struggling to land a job and starting to feel intensely discouraged, it is time to change your tactics and embrace the frustration. No matter how many CV’s you have sent out, it is important to not give up. There is always light at the end of the tunnel, don’t throw in the towel. Discouraged workers are essentially individuals who have given up on their job search. Such workers won’t show up in the nation’s unemployment rate, but the increasing amount of discouraged workers reveals an even tighter job market than assumed; over 50% of African youth unemployed.

What’s driving the increase in job discouragement within the African economy has to do with a host of factors. Researchers believe that people who lose their jobs are less likely to find an equal or improved job within the same industry. Over the last few years, the way in which people search for jobs has dramatically changed, and some of these changes present challenges making it harder for many workers — especially older ones — to figure out the tactics needed to land a new job.

Corporations are handling the hiring process differently from the past and this can also feed job seekers with frustration, which is when they begin to think that it would be a great idea to take some time off. To all the candidates that feel like this is you, please it is important to know that this is the worst way to go about things. Just keep on keeping on. It is of no benefit to wait it out and hope that the economy will pick up shortly. Don’t make hope your only strategy; you are better than that.

Getting back into the swing of things can actually be rather tough. Here are a few soundproof and productive steps to get you motivated again:

Write down what positions you’re looking for and what you’re qualified to do;
Work out the possible titles of those positions;
Determine the titles of your potential managers;
Create a list of 50 businesses you’d consider working for, even if they have no listed jobs available;
Make a list of 100 people you know, everyone from relatives to former colleagues.
Connect with each person on the list individually, not with an e-mail blast, and find out if they know anyone at the 50 businesses you identified that might hold a position you’ve targeted above.
Let your contacts know what you’re seeking for and ask if you can be introduced. You may turn up just a few individuals on your 100 contacts list who know someone who knows someone, but that may be all you need;
For those who just need a pick-me-up, then try to employ basic job-hunting tactics. If you haven’t been able to get a job or even an interview, find a class or a career counselor to assist you, especially with Web-based social networking; read up on emerging trends to figure out where the jobs are; connect with contacts, and update your skills.

Many jobs are never even posted, so you can find out about them by asking if there are any positions available. We frequently ask the wrong question as a job seeker. We ask, are there jobs out there? We should be asking: “This is the job I want. Do you know people that are likely to manage someone like me or may be able to bring someone like me on board?”

It is important to actually spend time actually working on your job search, not just worrying about it. Active job seekers within Africa spend roughly 1.97 hours per day on their job search. More energy typically goes into anxiety, not action, because people do not know what to do in this tough and discouraging economy. Job seekers should go and find a support system of family or community, whether it be a religious group or career counseling center.