21 Motivational Job Search Quotes for Frustrated Job Seekers

Even when unemployment is low and it is a job hunters’ market, some job searches are more challenging than others. You don’t want to just take any job. You want to find the right job. And sometimes it can take time to find the job that is right for you. More time than you’d like. And lots of effort. Setbacks and rejection and difficulties are common when job searching.

So, how do you stay motivated during a tough job search and persevere until you achieve success? Here are some tips and inspirational quotes to help.

When the tough job searching challenges hit, it is very likely that you will feel overwhelmed, and the overwhelming feelings can be paralyzing and halt your progress if you let them. Don’t let them.

It can be useful to sit down and work out exactly what you can and can’t change or influence in your circumstances. Make a list of the things you have immediate control over. For example, the number of networking contacts you will make today or the amount of time you will devote to following up on past job applications. Focus on those. Make peace with the things you can’t influence such as the number of opportunities in your industry and profession and cut yourself some slack. You’re doing the best you can, and that’s enough.

When the going gets tough, you need your friends and loved ones. Not only can your friends help cheer you on, but talking with them about your job search goals can provide accountability. Ask them to check in with you periodically. Knowing you must report to them will help maintain your motivation even when your job search gets really tough. But your support network can help in other ways too. Others will often be able to view your search objectively and provide a new perspective, perhaps even identifying and recommending job search techniques you have overlooked.

While a supportive network of friends and family can help maintain your motivation even during the toughest of job searches, doomsayers will kill your motivation. We all have them. These are the people that tell you why you can’t do it, and why something is impossible. These are the people that encourage you to quit, or worse, give you all the reasons not to try in the first place. The problem is, you don’t have the energy to deal with them and do anything else. They’re like vampires, draining the last of your enthusiasm. Don’t waste your time, or your life, with people who will drag you down.

You will make mistakes in your job search and it is easy to berate yourself when you do. But doing so is counterproductive and harmful to your motivation. Mistakes are normal. No one is perfect all the time. Self-compassion is one of the most underrated qualities. Mistakes are only a problem if you can’t learn from them. Accept the past, learn from your experiences, and adjust your actions as you move forward in your job search.

If your job search is overwhelming and success is tougher to achieve than you’d hoped, it can be easy to get mired in negativity. But negativity and pessimism will drain motivation and enthusiasm. On the other hand positivity and optimism can create energy and enthusiasm. It’s not always easy finding the bright side, and when the job search gets really tough it can seem like there isn’t bright side at all. But if you always make a conscious effort to look for the opportunities in the challenges and seek to learn from the roadblocks you encounter, it becomes a bit easier to find the bright side. It might sound a little contrived but keeping an eye on the bright side will go a long way to keeping your job search motivation humming along.

As you plan your job search, break your job search plan and goals down into smaller milestones. Then, cross them off and reward yourself as you complete them. It will help keep you motivated and on task, and you’ll be able to feel as if you are making progress in your job search, even if the search has been exceedingly tough and the progress is small. Celebrate your successes. Let yourself know that you have accomplished something. Rewarding yourself is a way to motivate yourself to continue to even greater things.

Pushing yourself to continue relentlessly when you are overwhelmed or frustrated will only make you more overwhelmed and frustrated. Take breaks from your job search activities when you start to feel your motivation flagging. Get up, walk around, do something different for a bit, and when you return to your job search, you’ll have a fresh perspective. When you need to stay motivated during a tough job search, play the long game. While the saying “treat your job search like a job itself” is a smart philosophy to adopt, people take breaks from their jobs. You deserve a break from your tough job search too. Just commit yourself to returning and persevering. Success comes to those who persevere.