Stay fighting fit for your job search.

“Gizza job! Go on, I can do it. Gizzit!”
(Translation: Give me a job/Give me it!)

Remember this from the 1980s BBC TV series, Boys from the Blackstuff?

Yosser Hughes, lead character, is a man who is unemployed. Overwhelmed and heartbroken by financial and family pressures, it seems the only thing to lighten the load is his small group of friends - one-time work colleagues and fellow jobseekers. The pressures become almost unbearable, but he comes through it. Seeing the stage adaptation in London recently – a captivating production - it was cheering to see him still persevering at the end despite the difficulties.

Work in our daily lives

The role that employment and work play at a basic level in our lives can become unnervingly clear when you are unemployed. It can feel like your identity, developed through hard work and career success, is fading. When you are between jobs for an extended period, the lack of these fundamentals can easily impact on how you are feeling about yourself.

It’s not only a source of income and an aspect of a career, but also a ready-made timetable for your week/month/year (delete as appropriate), intellectual stimulation, reasons to get out of the house, new things to learn, opportunities to connect with others, do things and achieve positive results.

Feeling upbeat for your job search

You will want to remain feeling buoyant to give yourself the best chance of success in your job applications – to be your best self in interviews and represent yourself confidently while navigating uncertainty and potentially handling rejection.

Filling the temporary gap

Aside from activities relating directly to your job search, think about doing things that can be a temporary stand-in for work. This might be focussing on a hobby, volunteering with others, taking courses, but these will vary from person to person.

The five ways to wellbeing is a straightforward framework to help you prioritise the right things for you. They say it’s helpful to:

- Connect: Connecting with the people around us is a wonderful way to remind ourselves that we’re important and valued by others.
- Be active: There’s a link between staying active and positive mental health and wellbeing.
- Take notice: Taking notice of our thoughts, emotions and surroundings is an effective way to stay present and pay attention to our needs.
- Keep learning: Learning new things is an interesting way to meet new people and boost our self conﬁdence, which in turn improves our mental health and wellbeing.
- Give: There is a link between doing good things for others and an increase in wellbeing.

If you are job seeking, or someone close to you is, what activities might help fill the gap to keep yourself fighting fit during this period?