Why are you wasting time thinking and trying to force things that are out of your control? Following the news and hearing about how many unemployed people there are is surely depressing if you are out of a job. But as long as you stick to daily activities that are guaranteed to land you that job, you can ignore the rest of the world. Start to focus on yourself.

So You Are Out of a Job, What’s Next?

Things That Are Out Of Your Control

• Getting an Interview – If you have exhausted all your means of getting an interview at that company, it is likely not your fault if you cannot get that interview. Maybe they are just not hiring someone like you or all the slots are taken. Move on and know that you tried your best.
• Callbacks – Do not sit on your couch and let time pass. Even if you aced that interview, keep all your job options open. Do not rely on that phone callback.
• Expecting a High Salary – There are new graduates that will do work for peanuts and if you are not willing to take a pay cut in order to get some stable employment, then you might be unemployed for a long time.
• The Economy – The worse thing to do is to hope things get better and wait out the economy.
• Unemployment Checks – If you have been getting unemployment, you will know about the 99 weeks of unemployment benefits. Once that runs out, you are on your own financially. You cannot rely on extended benefits because Congress works on a different set of priorities and those priorities are not you.

Stop creating goals that are out of your control. You are out of a job and the best thing you can do in this situation is to get active on realistic goals. Jobs in this bad economy will not land on your feet. It takes a lot of work to get the right job or any job for that matter. Here are a few things you can do.

Things You Can Control

• Creating a list of daily tasks to accomplish. Make sure those tasks can be fully completed within 24 hours.
• You have to optimize your resume and make it specific to the job positions.
• You have to send your resume out to people who will look at it.
• You have to network and create social relationships. As long as you keep your name in someone’s mind, they will remember you the next time there is a job opening.
• Get more education and training if you decide to go towards another path.
• Focus on building your own sense of self-worth. Stop looking at being unemployed as a failure in life.

You do not know how the economy or job market will be tomorrow but you can surely improve on your marketable job skills as you continue on your job search. Do the work and you will see the results.