Lovely, isn't it! And most of us could make use of a little bit more. Getting a job is about earning money. After all, if you have worked hard you deserve the rewards. Money means that you can pay your bills, buy a car, save towards a holiday, or move into a new house or flat. Money gives you a degree of freedom and a sense of worth. If you are earning money you can stand on your own two feet and no one can push you around. Well, that's largely true but it's not the whole picture.
If you are young, you will find that the jobs which pay the most are the ones which offer the poorest long-term gain. Jobs which offer sound training and day-release opportunities pay much less but, when you qualify, the tables are turned and your earnings soon overtake those of your friends who chased the fat wage earlier on. It may take three or four years for that to happen and at 16 that can seem a long time. Remember, though, that you will probably have a working life of at least 40 years. As a qualified and skilled worker you have a career ahead of you, but without training and qualifications you may not even have a job for long.
At 16 you may have had enough of school and be eager to gain independence. A highly paid job, if you can find one, may seem an attractive proposition. Think about it carefully, though, and talk it through with as many people as you want to. Careers teachers will probably advise you to think about further education or a job with training. Failing that, they may suggest a training scheme placement. In every case, they should be prepared to take some time and help you to arrive at your decision.
Mature people often face the same dilemma. They take a job simply because of the higher wage and often regret their decision almost immediately. The new job may require them to work difficult shifts, the work may be too pressured or the distances they have to travel too great. It's great to get a job that you really wanted and, if it pays more than you are earning now, that's a bonus, but money is only a short-term motivator. If you've taken a job that you have no interest in simply for the money, you'll probably want to leave within a couple of months.
Morale
You can spend months or even years waiting for the right job to come your way, and when you think of the number of applicants there are for some particularly attractive jobs, it can be hard to imagine that you will ever be the successful candidate. At times like these it can be difficult to keep up your morale, especially if you've tried for half a dozen jobs and got nowhere. One day, you can feel a million miles from your target and yet, the next day, a successful interview can give you everything you've always wanted.
When times are hard and all your friends seem to be successful in their jobs, it pays to remember that your time will come - provided you are doing everything right. If the work you seek is appropriate to your background and skill, if you are careful in writing your letters of application and if your CV is well designed and accurate, you will certainly be making a better application than most. If you are regularly invited for interview, you are already streets ahead of your rivals and you are a serious contender for the posts you apply for. Use each interview as a piece of action research and learn from it. Even an interview which doesn't lead to an offer of a job can be a positive experience.
Finally, bear in mind that it only takes an employer two or three minutes to shake your hand and offer you a job. Your situation could be radically different this time next week. By then, you may have forgotten why you felt so low.
Motivation
When you are looking for a job, you are your own boss. You need to be a self-starter. No one is going to ask you to fill in an application form or telephone a list of employers to see if any are looking for extra staff. No one will search the newspaper ads for you and only you can write your own CV. The motivation to find a new job must come from you, and it is important that you know why you are doing this. There may be a few disappointments in store for you along the job hunting road but if you know what you want, and if you want it badly enough, you won't be tempted to give up.
People often get jobs simply because they won't give up. Other people who may be better qualified and experienced often don't have the staying power to keep applying. The definition of a professional writer is 'an amateur who wouldn't quit'; you can apply this to most walks of life. Keep making applications and use every experience to gain a little more knowledge of the job hunting game. Many people who now hold senior positions in companies aren't particularly skilled or gifted - they are just more persistent.
