Think positive in tough times
Q: I graduated from university recently. I’ve been looking for a job as a teacher for half a year. I sent out over 100 resumes or applications. Yet I received no offers of employment. Throughout this time I stayed optimistic and continued applying for vacancies that were advertised. I also contacted employers to ask about potential openings.
I have now come to the end of my rope. I’ve backed away from further job searches in the past week or so. I can’t express how tired I am of rejection and not being acknowledged by employers. But I am even more disheartened by people who tell me that I am obviously not trying hard enough since if I were, I would be employed.
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I do not get much support from others in my small rural community. I live with my parents. My friends and acquaintances from summer jobs, school and university have all moved to other parts of the province. I have little money, so am in no position to be socially active and meet new friends, or to move elsewhere, especially when it seems the only job prospects for me would only pay minimum wage.
I feel disillusioned with life and very depressed at times. I wish for the day when I am gainfully employed, supporting myself and able to socialize with individuals my own age. Can you give me any advice on how to make this a reality?
A: I understand your situation. When you put a great deal of effort into something and don’t get any rewards, it is frustrating. It is easy to let “circumstantial depression” take over. This is when something over which you have no control pulls you down. And the more depressed you get, the more you tend to get even more depressed.
It appears you have done everything possible to make employers aware of your availability and skills. You’ve covered the bases. But right now it appears the bases are all loaded, and it might be awhile before you can come up to bat as a teacher.
Try positive thoughts
It takes effort to keep yourself thinking positively. You have to work at it. Remind yourself of your positive attributes. Write them down. Read the list over at least once a day. If you don’t remind yourself about your positives, nobody else will.
Begin a contingency list. If there are no teaching vacancies available this year, what are some of your other options this winter? What are the pros and cons of staying at home? What are the pros and cons of looking for some associated work, perhaps in a day care centre, or as a teacher’s aide somewhere? What are the pros and cons of picking a large town or city you would like to live in for a year, moving there and grabbing whatever work you can find, even if it is only minimum wage? Think about other positive options on your own, and then write down the good and bad points for each.
Recognize your negative thoughts. Decide to toss them in your mental wastebasket the minute you recognize them for what they are. Focusing on negative thoughts is a quick way to end up depressed and hopeless.
Continue to send resumes to places where you might enjoy working. But, in addition to the academic information, give a broad picture of yourself as a person, your interests, your energies and your challenges.
Since everyone applying for a teaching job has a B.Ed., it is often the other information that gets you onto the short list for an interview.
