It’s been four and a half months since you lost your job. You’ve been working hard at the process, regularly sending out resumes, and staying in touch with your network. You know you’re marketable and willing to work, but recently you’ve become discouraged. Four months ago you were certain that you would be reemployed by now. What’s wrong?

Each day becomes more and more difficult to get up and get motivated. The unreturned phone calls and “no thank you” letters have begun to take their toll.  Your spouse is starting to become impatient, adding to the pressure….”Are you sure you are doing everything you can?”

Know that you are not alone.  The lethargy and anxiety you may be experiencing is common to many jobseekers as they reach the four to six month period of unemployment.  At this point your resume and cover letters may start to feel stale to you. This in turn dampens your spirits as you become more aware that you’ve lost some of the optimism and enthusiasm you had earlier in your search.

What can you do?  First of all, sit down and make a project of looking at every aspect of your job search so far.  Spend a quiet day reconstructing all your activities and results over the past several months.

How many letters and resumes have gone out each week? (Remember, job search is a numbers game.) Have you followed up faithfully, staying with each lead until it is resolved? How many new networking contacts have you developed?  Do you ask for referrals from each and every one?

How much time have you spent in the library, seeking out new target companies and researching others? How many first interviews have you had?  How many second interviews?

In most cases, once you stop to objectively map out and analyze your efforts, you will find certain patterns emerging.  Too few or no interviews may indicate a poorly written or too narrowly focused resume. If a chronological format has not been working for you, consider a functional format that emphasizes your skills and accomplishments. Borrow a contemporary resume writing book from the library, or consider getting professional assistance.

A history of getting initial interviews but no seconds might point to a deficiency in your interviewing skills, or maybe in your lack of follow-up.  Did you remember to focus your responses on the employer’s needs, and not your own?  Did you send a brief thank you note saying you appreciated the interview and look forward to another?  Remember – a follow-up phone call to express your continued interest and availability could well set you apart from the other candidates, offering you a competitive edge.

Chances are, as the rejections mounted and your job search floundered, you started to spend more and more time retreating away from others.  To help re-evaluate your job search process, find someone who can assist you who can offer an outside perspective. The person can be employed or unemployed.  Another unemployed individual will probably be more sympathetic, and in fact may have had the same experience you are going through.

Another way to re-vitalize your network is to approach several employed people who you contacted earlier in the search, and ask for their advice.  “Good morning, Jan, this is Roger Landis.  We spoke a few months ago, when I let you know that my position had been eliminated from Arctic Foods.” (Jan will acknowledge and ask how it’s going.)

“Frankly, Jan, not as well as I had hoped. It’s been almost five months now, and I seem to keep getting dead-ended. I’m trying to trouble-shoot my job search approach, and, since you’re in the industry, I was wondering if you could spend a little time with me to offer some feedback.  You might be able to help pinpoint something I could be doing better that I just can’t seem to identify on my own.”

You will be amazed at people’s willingness to help…you need to be willing to ask for it, however.  Another benefit of this process is that it will help re-new your enthusiasm to get out and meet with people again.  Watch how you’re self-confidence and energy will rebound as your employment search gets a second wind.

Finally, remember to be patient.  Finding a good job opportunity which is the right fit for you takes time as well as timing.  The fact that your search is longer than you had hoped is not necessarily a reflection on your marketability.  Take your new ideas and insights and re-work your former contacts and target companies.  Good luck!