Feedback please...thanks

45772

hi im unemployed with the past 13 months and with the past two months i have become addicted to trawling the internet on a daily basis.

it constitutes a large part of my day from the time i wake in the morning until midnite when i go to bed with obvious breaks in between -constant checking of FAS until 5pm on the latest updates and other recuitment websites and unfortunately a few glances at facebook during the day which makes me more irritable and frustrated with my situation. While i know i am doing myself no favours looking at others i feel a compulsion to do so ( like purposely inflicting self punishment/torment on myself).

As i said its only over the past two months that i have become increasling sedentary spending long spells daily checking for work. I feel if i dont keep a watch over the current job postings that I will miss out on something suitable as has happend me already with work that i would love to have applied for to only realize of the postion when the closing date has elapsed for application.

Greatly appreciate of I could get some feedback on the above from fellow jobhunters with regard to best approach to checking the internet.Many thanks in advance for any feedback be it one response or ten.

Other people in my house are making an issue out of how its bad to be getting too hung up on looking for work...repeatedly saying to me " a watched pot never boils"...i am feeling increasingly frustrated about my situation...sorry for the long spiel did not have time to edit it originally.

gollem_1975

I am 100% not being funny here.

main tip I can give you is to format your post.

writing content for the web ( or to be read on a computer screen ) is much different from physically writing on paper.

use spaces between sentences.

This will make your post easier to read.

45772

gollem_1975 wrote: »

I am 100% not being funny here.

main tip I can give you is to format your post.

writing content for the web ( or to be read on a computer screen ) is much different from physically writing on paper.

use spaces between sentences.

This will make your post easier to read.

Thanks Gollem

sambuka41

I dont think you are doing anything wrong here, you've been unemployed for 13 months, its a good thing to still have the motivation to look for work. But if you are distressed with it then reduce the amount you check to twice a day? Lunch and after 5 maybe?

To have missed a closing date before you must have left a while(days or weeks) in between checking the sites,that wont happen this way.

What have you been doing to occupy your time during the day so far? Try find something to do in between the times you check.

Oh and Facebook is evil,steer clear!!:p

RedXIV

I can see where you're coming from and being honest, I got my job through a chance sighting on here! I know what it's like but as above, maybe check a list of sites every few hours with a max of 5 a day? I used to do this every morning and then again after dinner.

Not great advice but personal experience there

gollem_1975

this is not the place for professional advice but here is a few ideas from an amateur so to speak

part of that feeling of irritability may be because you are not getting enough real personal contact.

spending a extensive/sustained period of time in front of the computer on social networking sites ( pr0n probably even has a worse effect ) can get frustrating.. your not getting "feedback" that you will get from personal face2face contact with people.

try to get out of the house , get on a course , try to get a placement/internship, join a club.

if you are physically able join a gym or get exercise somehow.. exercise is supposed to be good for the body and mind.

keep an eye on the jobs sites. you shouldn't be spending all day looking at them. we are coming out of recession but I don't think there are that many new jobs coming online every day.

set up a profile / post your resume on linkedin

my 6c anyway

45772

Thanks so much to each of the above posters for taking the time to reply to this thread. I completly agree with you all, while I knew all along that I am going overboard on my hours spent job hunting on the internet, i feel the reason I made it into a daily routein procedure perhaps is to fill the void of not having structure in my day.

Up until May of this year I was in an evening course one day a week that I had been dutifully attending since last September. I found it great and it kept me distracted somewhat and more importantly it helped keep me out amongst people as Gollum so rightly suggested and again it helped provide a routein. Since the course finished, every week now just merges into the next and roll by so quickly.

I think the most important thing I can take from what has been said is to maintain social interaction with people on a face to face level. Its all too easy to go into one's shell so to speak as i feel i have done and thus ones confidence dwindles when it comes to stepping out amongst people again, even something so simple as driving to a nearby town for groceries.

Thank you all so much once again for your replies as I feel it has given me perspective on the matter,I will take on board what you have suggested.

I better wrap up what is once again turning into a long spiel and call it a night on the internet..early to bed early to rise:o

tenchi-fan

Did you ever see donnie darko.. the old lady (Grandma Death) walking over and back to the mail box every 2 minutes.
Is it really worth checking fas every 5 minutes when they probably only post a new vacancy once an hour?

1. Go through the list of sites you usually check and as you go through the vacancies Bookmark any jobs you think might be suitable, or circle any newspaper ads. All this should take no more than an hour and you should only do it once a day. Maybe another 20 minute scan in the evening to see if anything really exciting came up.

2. Then start applying. Tailor your cv and cover letter for each job. Apply for the ones that appeal to you.. and keep track of what you applied for. Maybe spend 2 hours doing this.

3. In a few days time phone the recruiter/employer to see if he got your cv and if he'd like to arrange an interview. Spend another 1-2 hours a day doing follow up like this.

4. Perhaps one day a week (the same day you collect the dole for example, seeing as you'll be in town anyway) Print out a few cvs and make your way to companies around town (unadvertised jobs may exist) and hand them in in person.

That's just a suggestion and it seems a bit more structured than waiting for a new notification on facebook or a new job to be posted on one of the jobs sites.