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Looking for work is one of the hardest things to do .when you weighed down by bills and worries about the providing for the family Your mind gets stuck In the present.  You are tossed about by waves of need.  As the days and weeks past, you can only see that the waves keep washing away any money you do get. The amount that you are in the hole keeps growing.   You start thinking, “What’s the use.”  You start walking with your head a bit lower.  The worry can be seen in your eyes.

While you are feeling so down, successful job hunting needs a person who is enthusiastic, upbeat and self-confident.  The last thing a prospective employer wants  to know is how “needy” you are.  A frowner almost never gets the job.  Now I know being upbeat and confident  seems impossible when there is that mountain staring you in the face.  But there are things you can do to start swimming and stop treading water.  Yes, you can even start surfing!

Getting Ready
Employers don’t want to see or hear the word “anything” as the answer to “What can you do?”  To get ready to answer that question, sit down at a quiet time to do some writing.  Start writing down all the things you can do as fast as you can.  Try to get a list of 25 things.  Don’t worry if things you write seem alike.  For example:

- good with kids
- can balance a checkbook
- I can keep things organized
- I can do stuff on the computer
- people like to talk with me

Put the list away for a day.  When you take it out again, see if you can add any more things.  Do this for the next 3 days.  Watch the list grow.  You will start to see that you can some very neat (and “work-able”) things.

Take the list and write down the name of the job skill next to each item on your list.  You may have more than one per item. For example:

- good with kids  >   teacher’s assistant, day care work, crossing guard, mother’s helper.
- I can keep things organized > sales clerk, clerk, office assistant, billing

Be creative.  Look in the want ads for key words that match you list.

Start Looking Where Others Aren’t

A hammerhead shark’s eyes look to the sides and not straight ahead.  While most people look for work from the normal things like the want ads, you be like a hammerhead shark.  Read the bulletin boards at the grocery stores.   Check out the job postings in your town hall and post office.   Make a list of all the businesses in your area and then see if they have a web site.  Most places that have a site list  job openings.  Look for the words “careers,” “employment”, “jobs “ or “openings” on the home page.  Include any schools, hospitals, churches, charities,  colleges, and trade schools in your search.  Also look at sites like craigslist.org.

If you find a match with your skills, fill out the application.  

And good luck, you hammerhead shark you!