Will Work For Food

That's hard to hear at an interview because you know you will not sleep well until you know, one way or another, whether you are going to be offered the position. Until the decision is made, you feel at loose ends, unable to concentrate on other tasks and activities. It seems like a waste of time to spend a lot of energy on continued job search when this might be the last week or two of spare time you'll have for months, time to get all those long-ignored chores done.

This is a real danger zone. If you don't receive an offer, you'll not only be terribly disappointed, you'll come down really hard on yourself emotionally for wasting precious job search time.

The secret is to continue your efforts with the same fervor as before. There are several possible outcomes. You may receive the offer and all you have lost is the time and effort expended on the additional job search. You may not get the job and will at least have the satisfaction of knowing that your efforts are continuing and may bear fruit in the near future. Or, you may find another position. It is not unusual, even after a long and failing job search, to suddenly have two opportunities available, as if everything has finally come together for you and is starting to pay off.

Save your catch-up tasks for after you receive the offer -you will be so excited then that you'll get everything done in half the time it would take you now.