Take the time to ask yourself why you want a new job. If you try to explore the goal you have in mind, it will motivate you to find space for job hunting.&nbsp; Defining your "why now?" will call you to action to take the first step.

Define your why — and why now

Find a moment to sit down and meditate. Then visualize the times when you were excited about a new job or the happy moments in your current one. Ask yourself, do you like the people you worked with or are working with? What about the kind of work? Do you have different feelings now? Finally, visualize how you'll feel when you find your dream job. Embrace the energy you're feeling — the excitement and the engagement you feel through your body. With this practice you can determine what's important to you and give you the necessary energy to power through.

Visualize current state and target state

It's often scary to think about the uncertainty the future brings but if you create a plan and follow it to the bone, you'll glean with energy from accomplishing every step.&nbsp; <ol><li>Determine how much time you're willing to dedicate to the job-hunting process and commit to that every day or every week</li><li>Create an activity schedule — like what will you do at this time? Prepare your resume? Update your LinkedIn profile?&nbsp;</li><li>Figure out who are the people who will support you with the job-hunting.</li></ol>

Make a plan 

Each company has their own style of recruiting process. Some have a maximum of four interviews while others, ten. However, this shouldn't get you down because that's something not within your control. If you focus on what you can control you'll increase your positive energy and build momentum. Instead here are some things you can control:<ul><li>Developing your resume and LinkedIn profile&nbsp;</li><li>Scheduling meet-and-greet opportunities with people from your field</li><li>Preparing for interviews</li><li>Reaching out to references and encouraging them to be enthusiastic in talking about you</li></ul>

Focus on what you can control

The job-hunting process is emotional and it sometimes can feel like a roller coaster ride. That's why mental preparation is just as important as preparing your resume.&nbsp; We can be positive all we want but we still have to prepare for the time for when the possibility of being rejected happens to us. Prepare yourself on how you'll work through it and then move forward.

Breathe and Believe

Five strategies to help you muster up the energy.

Stashed ideas

How to Job Hunt (When You’re Already Exhausted)

Try this kind of visualization practice anytime you’re preparing for a high-stakes situation. It could be a job interview, your first day of work, or even how you want to come across with new colleagues after being hired.&nbsp;Designing the way you want to show up, and not what prize you’ll get for doing so, will help clear away some of the head fog driven by your stress, and restore a sense of calm and clarity that allows your spark to shine through.

Visualize how you show up — not a specific outcome

To safeguard your wellbeing during any hard time, and keep your spark alive, you must learn to separate your emotions from your worries.When something is pulling at your mind (such as your employment situation), schedule that heavy thought and visit it only once per day at a designated time. Tell yourself, “Each day at 9 a.m. I will give this subject five minutes of my complete focus.” Then, when the subject occurs to you at other times, as it will, remind yourself it’s already scheduled, and try to move on.

Make an appointment with worry

If you are under a great deal of financial pressure, accepting any job — and tabling your search for a job with a greater purpose — may be the right choice for you, at least right now. Do what you need to do to feed yourself or your loved ones. You can find a way to grow and contribute in almost any role.The pressure around a job search causes many people who do have other options (either desperately or excitedly) to say “yes” without a moment’s pause. It can cause people to apply to every job without considering whether they’d actually enjoy it. If you have the leeway to do so and won’t be putting yourself at risk, try to give yourself some time — both before applying to a role and when considering an offer.

Give yourself a minute to think

Three strategies to help you slow down and perform at your best.

Finding a Job is Stressful. Here’s How to Get Through it.

Most of us, especially teachers, often assume that when students from low-income communities go to school, study well, and graduate, they’re likely to be on the road to economic mobility. That’s not always true. We don’t account for behind-the-scenes coaching and development opportunities that young people from high-income families get. This looks like the dinner table conversations with parents, a career coach to figure out what college to apply to, or a family friend who can connect you with the right people for your first internship.

The social contacts that matter

Building social capital is critical for college students, especially first-generation students from low-income families. To be fair, though, this is a hard one. A lot of these college students feel awkward and unsure about networking or reaching out to strangers.&nbsp;There’s a myth that reaching out to others can be perceived as disrespectful or intrusive. However, this is far from the truth. We live in a world that runs on relationship-building — and networking is a skill that can make all the difference.

Social capital

It starts with their immediate, personal network. This could include their peers, friends, professors, alumni, or an employer (if they’re working part-time or doing an internship).&nbsp;They should take a hard look at this network and see if someone they know can help them with what they need.Next, they should think about all the people this person in their network might know.

How do students identify and cultivate their network? 

A quality job is a job that puts a young professional entering the workforce on the path to economic mobility and helps them grow and advance in their career.There are four dimensions to identifying a quality job.<ul><li>It must align with your interests.</li><li>It must provide scope for learning and development. </li><li>It must pave pathways to promotion.</li><li>It must help you earn the full dollar. </li></ul>

A quality job

For students from low-income backgrounds, this is especially important.

How to Find a Strong First Job After College

Every recruiter worth their salt will ask about your salary expectations when you first start interviewing. Do not give them a number. What to do instead: Ask for the range they’re budgeted for the role.How to say it: “Can you tell me the salary band for this level? Happy to let you know if it’s within my range, and we can discuss specific numbers later when I’ve met the team.”

Negotiation starts earlier than you think

Go into the interview ready not just to answer questions but to ask some of your own. You will use this to negotiate later. Here are a few examples of what you should ask:<ul><li>What’s the biggest priority for the team right now?</li><li>Why is this role open?</li><li>What’s the biggest challenge for someone stepping into this role?</li><li>How does the org structure on the teamwork?</li></ul>

Mine for intel during interviews

Once you’ve been offered the role, the recruiter’s job shifts from evaluating you to closing you. Most experienced recruiters will ask you again to put up a number for your salary. Clever recruiters may even tell you that they “will go to bat for you.”What recruiters say: “If you give me your number, I will make it happen for you.”What they mean: “I’ll get you something lower, but kinda close to what you asked for.”

Don’t give in to the pressure

At FAANG-size companies (i.e. over 5K employees), compensation is heavily formulaic. In fact, there is often a separate team — the “compensation committee” — who sets your salary. They take into account your background, interview performance, and level. They give the recruiter a number to go with.&nbsp;The recruiter then gives you the number, and every time you negotiate they have to go back to that committee to ask for a re-evaluation.

At FAANG, your recruiter may have no say at all

Your initial offer speaks volumes if you know how to interpret the data.

Read between the lines

You may be dealing with the founder directly. It’s very likely there is no range for the role, as smaller companies have much less access to salary data. The goal at the initial offer conversation is to understand three things:<ul><li>The current state of the company (financing, runway, profitability)</li><li>The plan for your role/function</li><li>The value of the equity, considering exit scenarios.</li></ul>

At a startup, the playbook is different 

It can be tempting to think you need to negotiate now that you have data. Nope, not yet. The next step, instead, is to upsell your worth before you come back with any kind of counteroffer. This is especially important if you’re going for a senior role.What to do next: Ask for follow-up meetings with decision-makers. If you’re a Director or higher, you can usually ask to meet with any VP and possibly C-level execs. VPs can often meet with the CEO and even board members. Take your time; this is important if you want your salary to reflect your value. If everyone wants you, you’ll be calling the shots later.

Your job is to win hearts and minds

Did you know that women make only 47 cents in equity for every dollar a man makes? A HUGE reason for that is that many women don’t fully evaluate their offer before negotiating. Ask yourself these questions:&nbsp;<ul><li>Is the offer competitive?&nbsp;</li><li>How does it work? (When do I vest; what is the stock worth?)</li><li>Is it all true? (Is the value of the equity over-inflated?)</li><li>Does it add up? (Consider taxes on bonuses and stock.)</li><li>If you have goaled comp, are the goals realistic?</li></ul>

OK, now get some good data

Getting paid more up-front doesn’t always mean you’ll make the most overall. Plan carefully.Not all offers are made equal — in fact, they are intentionally confusing. At Google, you may get a front-loaded vesting schedule on your stock; at Amazon, sizable cash bonuses the first two years. It seems obvious that you should look at the comp, but that’s not everything.

Comparing offers

It can be awkward to ask for more money, but trust me, everyone expects you to do it. On top of that, it doesn’t help that so much of the advice out there is conflicting.You absolutely do not need multiple offers. Just being able to say you’re speaking to other companies is sufficient — you can quote the expected salaries for other roles if needed.

Time to make an ask

Guest post by Niya Dragova, co-founder of Candor

The 10 commandments of salary negotiation

In addition to defining who you are and what you do, a personal brand determines how others—including future employers—will look at you.&nbsp;It’s a chance to put out your message so that when people hear your name or see your photo, your personal brand is the first thing that pops into their minds.&nbsp;

What Exactly Is a Personal Brand?

<ul><li>Develop Your Brand Story. The first step is getting clarity on why you are creating this story or what your long-term goal is—such as finding a new job or pivoting industries.</li><li>Build a Website. Once you have your brand story, you’ll need to create a place where you can share it with the world.&nbsp;</li><li>Promote Yourself. You want to get it in front of as many people as possible. There are plenty of ways both big and small to boost your personal brand, from engaging with others in your field to reposting relevant articles.&nbsp;</li><li>Track Your Progress. Instead of just sitting back and hoping for the best, you’ll want to gauge how your website is actually performing by looking at specific statistics and data.&nbsp;</li><li>Have Patience. When it comes to building your brand, it’s important to remember that it will evolve organically.&nbsp;</li></ul>

Build a Personal Brand

If you're looking to build a personal brand to boost your career, try these five essential tips.

jobsearch

Define your why — and why now

How to Job Hunt (When You’re Already Exhausted)

Visualize how you show up — not a specific outcome

Finding a Job is Stressful. Here’s How to Get Through it.