Staying Motivated When Remote Work Seems Impossible
3 Things You Can Do This Week To Get Motivation Back and Keep Going
Often it can be hard to stay motivated when you are searching for remote work.
I experienced this a lot in the 6 months it took to get my second fully remote job. I would apply to job after job and hear that my location was bad, or I wasn’t qualified for a role. Twice I got interviewed and then rejected, which ended up feeling even worse.
So here’s a list of 3 things you can do this week to stay motivated on your remote job search.
Remind Yourself of Your Why
Why are you applying for a remote job? Is it to be free from your current location? Is it for financial reasons? Whatever the reason, take 10 minutes to write down why you are applying and use that as a reference to yourself when you get demotivated.
In addition, share your why with friends and family. If they are not good people to share it with, try to find someone on LinkedIn who will encourage you. You might be surprised how many people are willing to support you.
Check Your Reality
Sometimes we do something for a long time and think that because just taking the action is enough. But the reality is we probably can improve HOW we are doing it and get better results.
This is especially true with the job search. When you are struggling and not feeling motivated, turn your emotions (frustration, sadness, anger) on yourself, but in a constructive way.
Ask questions like:
What could be better about my CV?
What didn’t I do right in the application process?
How could I change these things to be successful this next time?
It may not feel great at first, but the truth is once you dedicate yourself to improving, and looking at yourself as the #1 person who needs to change, you will accomplish great things.
There are many good tips here in these letters on this newsletter and on the internet generally. Learn, improve, and try again. Learning will give you more of a sense of control.
Ask For Feedback
Every time you get rejected, ask for feedback. Send a simple email that says
“Dear xyz,
Thank you so much for letting me know. May I ask what it was about my application that caused you to reject me? It would really help me to improve my job search, and I am sure you took the time to review my application, so you have great insights.
Thank you and have a great day.”
Many people won’t respond. But it takes 5 minutes to send to HR on LinkedIn or if you applied via email, to someone in email.
Just asking will increase your confidence, and getting a reply will increase it even more.
Keep Up The Good Work
This week I will be sending you 1 tip per day on mistakes people make in the remote job search. I strongly encourage you to read these tips and consider how you can improve!
Progress is the best feeling, and I want you to feel like you are making progress. Give yourself encouragement this week, and commit to progressing on your remote job search.
I believe you can do it! And if you’re having specific challenges, tell me in the comments :).
Have a great start to your week