Develop and keep a positive attitude
Focus on your positive characteristics and practice communicating them. Remember, employers want to hire positive people. Be tactful and don’t gossip, back stab, or speak poorly of anyone or anything.

Associate with positive and successful people
Finding a job largely depends on how well you relate to others and how effectively you network within the job market. Run with winners who have a positive outlook on life.

Give your job search structure
Plan your work, work your plan. Write down your daily and weekly goals and follow them. Be organized with your job search and develop an efficient and effective filing system.

Work hard at finding a job
Make this a daily endeavor. Involve your family. Spend the time necessary to make a professional commitment to yourself.  Be dedicated to your new job, which is, to find a job. Use good time management techniques.

Be a good communicator
Much of our job search involves communicating with others. Practice! Employers are searching for employees with strong communication skills, so always present yourself well both verbally and non-verbally.

Be energetic and enthusiastic.
Employers are attracted to energetic and enthusiastic people. Practice displaying enthusiasm both verbally and non-verbally. Check your telephone voice.  It may be less energetic than your voice in a face-to-face situation.

Be a good listener
Learn to improve your face-to-face listening behavior (non-verbal clues). Others enjoy talking with you if they feel you are one of the few people who will actually listen to what they say.

Be polite, courteous, and thoughtful
Treat gatekeepers, especially receptionists and secretaries, with politeness and kindness. Avoid being aggressive or too assertive. Send thank you letters to everyone who helped you, including the gatekeepers.

Do not get discouraged with setbacks
Understand that there will be some disappointments and take those in stride. Be patient and persevere. Turn negatives into positives. Learn from each situation and turn this knowledge to future job search activities. Learn to accept no; it brings you closer to yes.

Maintain a professional stance
Be neat in what you do and wear. Always speak with confidence and the maturity of a professional.

Do not overdo your job search
Work hard, but play hard, too. Achieve a balance between your job search and more relaxing, enjoyable activities. Reward yourself when you have achieved a goal. Don’t take your job search to the extreme and bore everyone with your job search stories.

Evaluate your progress and adjust
Evaluate what you are doing well and your accomplishments. Make changes as necessary, including your action plan. Reorganize your activities and priorities as your job search needs dictate.

Keep these checklists handy, follow the guidelines, and you will achieve great success in your job search!