Graduating is exciting as graduates prepare to begin the next part of their personal development by securing employment. This excitement is short-lived because finding a job is easier said than done. We will cover 3 areas of focus that will directly impact your job search – when treated with urgency.

These are Visualising, Planning and Action. Adjusting behaviours in these areas will help structure your life to be conducive to your job search, by opening your mind to the possibilities available.

By the end of this article your hope for finding employment will be rejuvenated; learn behaviours that you can adopt to improve your chances of finding a job.

Visualise Your Success

The first area of focus to maintain your hope of finding a job is to understand the power of visualisation. Set your goals, envision the outcome, create an action plan and surround yourself with people that build you up. It all starts in the morning by fixing your bed, because you won’t always be motivated, so you must learn discipline.

Recite your mantra aloud by speaking positivity, success and abundance and be gentle with yourself. Encourage yourself just as much as you would others because this is the first form of self-love. Self-love comes with self-awareness, and with self-awareness comes confidence, good energy and motivation.

Lastly, it’s extremely important to envision where you want to be, affirm your “why” and never lose sight of your goals. Dress good to feel good, even if you’re not going anywhere – look the part, act the part, to get the part. And while you’re at it – put on some good music to help you get pumped and psyched for the day – this always works!

Plans Are Nothing – Planning Is Everything

The second area of focus that’ll keep your motivation in check when you are a graduate seeking a job, is understanding the importance and benefits of planning. There is no such thing as being overly organised; even if you only have a few tasks to complete, plan out your day. Planning sets the tone of your day, week and so on – furthermore, adopting this mentality will benefit you professionally.

Learn more than you think you need to know and strive to know more than you believe you know – it’s not as difficult as it sounds. For example, during your job search or when preparing for an interview, research the organisation by looking up the company website, LinkedIn and Google. Learn everything about the position for which you have been selected for an interview, and define how you can serve the organisation and its mission.

Ask the right questions: Does the job serve the reasons and purpose of your application and will this position/job assist you in achieving your goals? What is your motivation for applying? Is it to gain experience? Does it align with your vision? Will this take you a step closer to your goals?

If your answer is “yes”, make sure you are willing to reciprocate the same level of commitment and dedication to the role as it does to your goals.

Action – You Must Be Willing To Do What Others Won’t Do

The last area of focus to improve on to help you stay motivated is acting on your plans, because initiative goes a long way. Learn something new every day and feed your mind just as you do your body – knowledge brings confidence. A few things you can do include reading, taking a free course, enrolling in an upskilling class and attending refresher courses.

Keep track of your progress to see how far you’ve come, and reward yourself for the little wins. Whether it’s a passed subject, a completed course, a certification of attainment, or a compliment you received, celebrate your small victories. Remember that success is a series of small wins, and keeping count will become the core of maintaining motivation.

Embrace positive peer pressure and surround yourself with people who share your values. Try to talk to people every day who will help you stimulate your mind, put things into perspective, and challenge your thinking.

Visualise your destination, plan the route to get there and act towards your goals. You will never advance if you only put in the work on the days when you feel like it. People frequently misconstrue motivation as the key to success. You need to first… Get up! Dress up! Show up! Step out of your comfort zone and start with the doing.