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Many people will tell you that looking for a job is a full time job. They’ll tell you it’s a numbers game. Put yourself out there as much as possible and something will eventually work out. They may have a point, but I think they’re also missing some important things that you need to consider.I would know. I’ve applied for hundreds, maybe thousands of jobs since I graduated college. Most of them I never heard back from. For a while, I had a whole system set up. A spreadsheet to track the applications and their results. Automated searches and reminder emails from the major job sites. Resumes publically available for any potential employers to see. I had a goal to apply for as many jobs a day as I could. I’m beginning to realize how all of this was exactly the wrong approach.I’ve had several jobs over this time. I said jobs. Not good jobs, not high paying jobs, not rewarding jobs. Just something to give me a bit of money to allow me to exist in this country for another two week pay period. I’ve gone through spells where I sat, feeling stuck and unfulfilled, in a miserable cubicle making less money every year. Occasionally I’d get angry and bang out a bunch of job applications, hoping someone would throw me a lifeline.They never did. You have to create your own lifeline. You have to save yourself.After a recent layoff, with unemployment benefits, I’ve had a bit of time to think and reflect on my approach and what I’ve done wrong. Here are a few lessons that may apply to your situation also.Quality, not quantity: I mentioned my job application system. I had it all. A template resume with blanks to fill in specific keywords from the job description. Cover letters set up the same way, insert name of this job here. Who has time to write a new letter each time? These HR people are not stupid. Well, some of them probably are. But they do this a lot. They can tell a template form letter every time. Sometimes you make the mistake of forgetting to change the name of the company or job in your letter. I admit to this mistake, multiple times. I’ve also sat down and carefully crafted a well thought out, excellent application package. Usually for that rare job you come across and say “Wow, this is what I want!” It really really sucks when you put in all this effort and don’t get any response. It takes a lot of time to do these kind of applications also. How do we deal with this?Apply for fewer jobs. Be selective. Desperation is a stinky cologne. If you are totally unqualified and send off a generic application, don’t be surprised if you don’t hear back. You’ve wasted your time. You’d be better off not applying at all. If you don’t meet the requirements posted for a job but feel you are the right choice anyways, give them a good explanation of why you’re the right choice. If you just graduated, don’t apply for the CEO job. Similarly, if you see a description for a job that you’re qualified for but know you would hate, save yourself the time and aggravation. It’s very hard to motivate yourself to do all that work knowing that the best possible outcome is to be stuck doing something you hate.Send good applications: Read the job description. Make lists of what they’re looking for, what skills you have, and your specific experience. Find the intersection of these three lists and highlight these points in your application.Consider temp agencies: These people get paid when you get paid. They want to find you something. They’re also typically overwhelmed with people looking for jobs, but most of the jobs I’ve had, unsatisfying as they were, were found for me by temp agencies. A lot of these jobs have the potential to go “permanent” (no job is actually a permanent job, but this is the term that is used for direct employment).Do something other than apply for jobs: This especially applies to periods of unemployment. If you just sit around eating tacos and playing Halo, I wouldn’t hire you either. Do something to improve your skills. Learn a language. Try freelancing. Look into starting your own business if you have an idea. If you don’t, think of ideas. Maybe you’ll think of something you want to try. Have something to put on your resume or LinkedIn profile, or even just to tell an interviewer, other than “Yeah, I’m unemployed...”Relax: The 1950’s are over. The labor market is very different in this country, even compared to just a few years ago. People who couldn’t find a “good job” used to be thought of as lazy, stupid, or unmotivated. “Get a job, you dirty hippy!” As you have already figured out for yourself, it isn’t that simple anymore. They guy making 6 figures who says he’d work at Taco Bell if he was unemployed is lying to you, or he’s an idiot. In any case, ignore him. Reflect: It is very normal for people to go through periods of unemployment and underemployment in today’s economy. There just isn’t the same demand for a bunch of bodies sitting at desks as there once was. Think and reflect on this. Is the career you’re pursuing even going to exist in a few years? Would your energy be better spent getting into something else with more potential? Sometimes it feels like you’re just banging your head against the same cement wall expecting different results. Go find a thinner wall, maybe one of those Japanese ones made of paper and bamboo. You know that old cliche about the definition of insanity...