Staying Focused During The Job Search

Don't knock the idea of a routine--or a bit of exercise

Shelley Huber

Whether you're a first-time job seeker or someone who's been looking and looking, everyone can hit a wall of frustration, loss of focus, and even resignation during a prolonged job search.

If you've suffered a few setbacks (you were one of two final candidates, or at the end of the process they decided not to fill the position due to budget, etc.) it can be hard to keep at it with all of the energy, enthusiasm, and zest necessary to come across as a great candidate. If you're living this reality, I'd like to offer some ways to help you recharge, stay focused, and get that job.

Letting go of rejection

First of all, please stop beating yourself up. Sometimes there are obvious reasons why we don't get a job (wrong skill set, experience, culture fit), and other times we'll just never know why. Yes, it's frustrating. But when we continually focus on what didn't work and hit replay over and over, it literally sucks emotional and creative energy from us that we could be using to think about the next opportunity.

Did you make a misstep during the interview or feel like you didn't successfully convey the things you feel make you stand out? By all means, learn from the experience and keep practicing. But remember, focus on practicing for the next opportunity, not dwelling on the past one.

Routines and rituals

Set a time-frame for job search efforts each day. If possible, try sticking to the same time-frame every day. For example, you are actively working on your job search from 9:00 to 12:00 each day. When you have a start and a finish, you'd be amazed how efficient you are.

The ideal work/rest ratio is 90 to 120 minutes to power away on something and then take a short break. Why? When we restore ourselves with either a drink of water, healthy snack, a quick walk, or some deep breathing, we recharge and are able to improve our focus and clarity for our next time chunk.

I'm a big fan of time-chunks, because when we spend entire days on the same task, our productivity slowly diminishes over time, making us less efficient. We also become tired, unfocused and are often listless by the end of the day. Which brings me to...

The power of exercise, networking, and socializing

A job search can seem like a marathon, so let's take that analogy and extend it to the physical realm. If you're not taking care of yourself, you will burn out on all levels. Not just physically, but mentally as well. Exercise is great for getting and staying fit, but the effects of a workout also supercharge our brains and make us feel more energetic and happier. Endorphins are a good thing. If gyms are not high on your priority list, try other forms of movement like martial arts, yoga, or dance. Or just take a walk.

Often, we can isolate ourselves when looking for a job. We feel like we need to be searching constantly, which can sometimes mean being surgically attached to our computers and smart phones. Remember how each day you set a time frame on your job search efforts? That means that you have time to get out, network, and socialize. Maybe this means having a cup of coffee with someone in a field you're interested in, taking a class, or volunteering. Yes, you could potentially meet someone who might be able to help with your job efforts, but on a deeper level you will be recharging yourself, which ultimately means more energy for your mind, body--and job search.      

13 College Majors In Which The Pay Goes Nowhere

You should totally follow your dreams, but...

Business Insider

By Jacquelyn Smith

When deciding on a college major, students are encouraged to think about a few things: what they love to do; what they want to do; what jobs they imagine themselves in; and what the earning and growth potential is like for those careers.

For instance, they would probably want to know ahead of time that human services majors see their annual pay increase by only about $7,500, or 22%, over the first 10 years of their careers, compared with the average American worker, whose salary grows by about $25,000, or 60%, in that time.

That's according to Payscale, the creator of the world's largest compensation database with more than 40 million salary profiles. It recently looked at the difference between starting (less than five years of experience) and mid-career (10 or more years of experience) pay by college major, and it determined the 13 majors with the smallest salary growth.

"We're not trying to discourage students from pursuing these majors - we're simply offering information so that students can make informed choices and get the most out of their degree, whatever major they choose," says Kayla Hill, a research analyst at Payscale.

Among the majors, child development has the lowest starting salary ($32,200) and mid-career pay ($36,400) while showing the least amount of growth in the first 10 years ($4,200, or 13%).

"Human support service majors tend to be paid less across the board," Hill says. "Child development workers in particular may see less growth over time because it is a field that tends to be undervalued by society. Additionally, childcare workers may not have the same opportunities for advancement as more technical jobs, where learning new skills can lead to a pay bump or promotion."

Human services majors had the second-lowest salary growth between starting and mid-career, while early childhood and elementary education had the third-smallest.

"People in support service jobs tend to find a high level of meaning from their jobs despite the lower pay," Hill says. "For many of these workers, the satisfaction and fulfillment they receive from helping others outweighs the lack of pay growth."

13. Theology

1/13

Common job: Chaplain 

Starting median pay: $36,800

Mid-career median pay: $51,600

Difference: $14,800 / 40%

12. Social Work

2/13

Common jobs: Mental health therapist; social worker; nonprofit program manager 

Starting median pay: $32,800

Mid-career median pay: $46,600

Difference: $13,800 / 42%

Read more "13 College Majors In Which The Pay Goes Nowhere"

Where To Intern In 2015: Vault's Top 50

Consultants rank high in annual survey

Jill Jacinto

If you are in college (or have a child who is), it's time to start the search for a summer 2015 internship. While some people might think seven months is a bit too far in advance to start searching, they would be wrong. Competition to get an internship in your desired industry, much less company, is aggressive.

Internships act as a solid bridge between the academic and business worlds. Good internships connect you with great contacts, experience and a good working understanding of the industry. The best internships provide you with tangible training, relationship-building events, hands-on experience and career development seminars. Vault.com recently released their list of the Top 50 Internships for 2015.

Vault surveyed 5,800 interns at 100 different internship programs for their Internship Experience survey. The survey was based on the following criteria: "quality of life, compensation and benefits, interview process, career development, and full-time employment prospects."

"Today, 40 percent of all entry-level full-time hires in the U.S. are sourced through internship programs," according to Derek Loosvelt, a senior editor at Vault.com. "This means that, for those looking to work for the most desired and admired employers in the country, internships are no longer a luxury but a necessity."

10 Best Overall Internships for 2015:
1. Bates White Summer Consultant Program
2. Elliot Davis ENVISION
3. Frank, Rimerman + Co. LLP's Summer Internship
4. Bain & Company Associate Consultant Intern and Summer Associate programs
5. Northwestern Mutual Internship
6. Plante Moran's Internship Experiences
7. KPCB Fellows Program
8. Evercore Advisory Summer Analyst and Summer Associate Program
9. CapTech Summer Internship Program
10. Anadarko Corporation Summer Internship Program

Vault, in addition to ranking the Best Overall Internships, also ranked internship programs in seven industries: Accounting, Consulting, Energy, Financial Services, Investment Banking, Media & Telecom, and Retail & Consumer Products.

Best Accounting Internship: Elliot Davis ENVISION
Best Consulting Internship: Bates White Summer Consultant Program
Best Energy Internship: Anadarko Petroleum Summer Internship Program
Best Financial Services Internship: Northwestern Mutual Internship
Best Investment Banking Internship: Evercore Advisory Summer Analyst and Associate Program
Best Media & Telecommunications Internship: AT&T Finance Leadership Program
Best Retail & Consumer Products Internship: Kohl's Information Technology Internship

According to Loosvelt, the company has been studying, surveying and ranking employers for quite some time. Mainly focusing on consulting, law, banking and now expanding into consumer products, tech, energy, media and entertainment. Why study the internship programs of these industries?

"Internships have been growing in importance, as nearly half of all entry-level full-time jobs at the top employers in the country are now sourced through their internship programs. So we found it important to give readers a better sense of the best internship programs out there, and to give them information about what it's like to intern at top employers as well as how to get these internships," says Loosvelt.
Loosvelt says Millennials are looking for jobs and careers that have meaning.

"Of course, prestige and salary are still important to Millennials, but I don't think they're the most important factors by far (like I think they were to, say, Generation X). I think Millennials want to make an impact. They want to feel their work is meaningful (the definition of what's meaningful varies, of course, from person to person)," says Loosvelt. Some people might want to advance the tech field in Silicon Valley, others might find their meaning in charity, while others are spreading awareness via social media or through education.

"Millennials are very focused on career advancement and training," Loosvelt says. "They're attracted to positions in which they'll be able to make difference right away-that is, being able to contribute to their firm's success without much waiting/training period. And they want to know that they'll be able to advance quickly if they succeed. They shy away from strict advancement time periods. And I believe that Millennials are also less fearful when it comes to changing careers and entrepreneurship -- starting their own ventures. This might just be because it's easier to start businesses these days; for example, brick-and-mortar stores aren't necessary to begin because, in most cases, all you need is a web domain and an idea; it doesn't take that much money to get going."

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Millennials will be the majority of the workforce in 2015. Loosvelt agrees that more companies (like the ones ranked in the study) are putting more time and resources into their programs in order to attract top talent and retain them.

There has been a major switch as companies have been putting a greater emphasis on training and development in internship programs. "This is partly, I assume, because they realize it pays to do this. If you treat your internship program like one long training period (and now sometimes students will intern two and three summers with the same firm), once your interns start full time with you, they're ready to perform real work, not to mention they're apt to stay at your firm for a lot longer period of time-that is, they'll be less apt to jump ship to another firm just for the money since they have a stronger connection (more loyalty) to you," says Loosvelt.

"Companies are increasingly offering better benefits and perks," he adds, "as they understand that Millennials are interested in flexible schedules (to raise families and/or engage in outside-of-work activities) and in having a community feeling at work, which wasn't so much the case with respect to past generations."