Recruiting. Staffing. Consulting.

By Perri Capell

Now what do you do?
Perhaps three-fourths of all job seekers stall in their searches, some after only a few months, career counselors say. "The biggest risk is the first time they run out of leads, and this can happen in a matter of days," says Janet Scarborough, a career coach with Bridgeway Career Development in Seattle. "They might have done all the things that seem easy. Then they say, 'Now what?' "

Searches break down at different stages for different people. Some people can't get job leads. Others land interviews but no offers. To get it going again, the first thing to do is to analyze the factors that are holding you back. This usually can't be done on your own.
"It isn't easy to evaluate yourself," adds Nancy Collamer, founder of Collamer Career Consulting in Old Greenwich, Conn. "After being out there a while, it's a rare person who doesn't start beating up on themselves. You need to get an outside perspective."

Talk with colleagues, members of job-search support groups, advisers at a college career center or a career counselor who can impartially review your approach. Show your advisers your resume and tell them what you've done so far. Together, you should pinpoint where your search is stalling and work first on fixing that problem. "You need to determine the breakdown point and troubleshoot that part of the process, because you don't have to fix everything," says Ms. Scarborough.

Often, job seekers think they should know how to job hunt, which makes them defensive and unreceptive to suggestions. To break down this barrier, Ms. Scarborough will ask a job seeker who comes to her for advice whether what she's doing now is achieving the results she wants. A "no" answer indicates "you have to change aspects of your search until you get results," she says.

What's Holding You Back?
If your search is stalled, try to keep an open mind and to not dismiss the suggestions you receive. The following are the most common reasons why job searches bog down, followed by suggestions from career counselors on how to revive them.

1. Emotional issues. It's hard to say which comes first -- a negative attitude or a stalled search -- but attitude alone can cause a search to bog down. Career counselors cite depression or despondency as the most common reason why job hunters can't achieve results. Candidates may feel that events are beyond their control and become defeatist. This affects all their job-hunting activities, from making calls to employers to interviewing.

Job hunters who lack support groups and are searching in isolation have a tougher time staying positive because they aren't interacting with others. Moreover, it's harder to stay upbeat during economic downturns or if you're over 50, because in both cases, positions are harder to find.

When clients say they're stalled, "the first thing I look at is their emotional state," says Ms. Collamer. "I evaluate their frame of mind and see whether they need to get feeling better about themselves."

2. Lack of focus. This can weaken your resume or cause you to seem desperate, because you're likely to seek roles just because they're available. Joanne Nix, president of A Great Resume in Van Buren, Ark., says she doesn't work with clients who don't know what they want until they determine their career goals. "Most of the time, job seekers tell me that any industry or any position will work for them," she says. "I tell them to get focused."

3. Poor self-marketing skills. Marketing requires finding customers who want your product, and then creating materials and a presentation that positions it as the solution to a problem. But many job seekers still believe they'll get hired based on what they've done previously, not on what they can help an employer achieve in the future. They prepare resumes that don't tout their accomplishments and are too modest during interviews, instead of saying that their skills are so good, the company can't afford to not hire them.

"You must view yourself as CEO of your own company," says Ms. Collamer. "If you had a product that isn't selling, either something is wrong with the product or you aren't addressing the right market. You need to evaluate your product and the market you're looking at."

4. Inability to network. This is the process of talking with people who might have information that could lead you closer to employment. Since networking often creates leads to people who know of unadvertised jobs, it's considered the best way to find a position. However, many job hunters don't understand how to network or refuse to do it because they fear seeming needy. "The problem is that people look at networking as 'What can you do for me?' vs. 'How can I help you?' " says Ms. Collamer. "They need to make it a two-way street."

5. Lack of structure. Finding a job requires accomplishing a series of interim goals, such as securing references, writing a resume, calling networking referrals or practicing mock interviews. Many job hunters whose searches have stalled haven't created a structure that prompts them to complete these activities. Others spend too much time on the Internet or doing busywork when they should
be contacting individuals personally, says Ms. Nix.

"I talk with dozens of people each day and quiz them on
their job-search techniques," she says. "Most tell me they
use the Internet 80% to 90% of the time. In today's market,
they aren't going to get interviews that ay."

Turn Over a New Leaf
The first step to kick-starting a search is to recognize you may have problems you aren't aware of and to act as quickly as possible to resolve them. This way, you won't have to undo mistakes you've made inadvertently - for instance, needing to change your image with networking contacts and employers.

"Don't wait a year to get feedback," says Ms. Scarborough. "It's much more effective to do it right the first time."

If you've been feeling depressed or defeated, your first goal should be to improve your outlook. Here are the steps career counselors suggest to reviving a job hunt:

1. Improve your state of mind. Physical activity helps improve mental well-being, so start exercising or going for walks if you aren't already doing so. Be sure you schedule time to be with friends and family, or simply spend time with a pet. Above all, don't stay cooped up in a home office for eight hours daily. "It's important to get out there and be around other people," says Ms. Collamer. "Many people just withdraw from their social life and that adds to the depression."

2. Join a job-search group or form one yourself. Create a group of advisers for yourself. Seek feedback on your progress and be available to give advice to others. You may gain valuable information and insights. Moreover, being around other people is an antidote to depression.

3. Accomplish something worthwhile. If you're feeling like you have no control over events, choose an activity or task you've been meaning to do and finish it. The chore needn't be related to your career or job hunting. It could be as simple as cleaning out a closet or painting a room. Ms. Collamer knows one job hunter who trained for and ran a marathon during his unemployment. The mere act of accomplishing something will make you feel better about yourself and more in control, says Ms. Scarborough.

"I say, 'Do better now and feel better later,' she says, "but people fight me on this. They say, 'I don't see how this has anything to do with my job search,' but it does. They gain a sense of autonomy and feel better, and that affects their job search."

4. Volunteer. Helping others or working on a cause you care about can help you feel more upbeat. One job hunter who was out of work for 18 months always worked as a volunteer with his state's highway patrol on Friday evenings, says Ms. Collamer. "He told me, 'This is the one night of the week when I feel like a productive human being,' " she says. "It's incredible how many people feel volunteering is a win-win situation for them."
Volunteering offers other benefits: You'll meet people who might become valuable career contacts.

5. Create structure for yourself. Each week, create a schedule outlining your goals for that week, and make sure you accomplish them. Do the difficult tasks first and reward yourself when you accomplish them with enjoyable activities, such as going to a movie with a friend. Your sense of well-being will improve as you reach these goals.

6. Follow through. Act on the suggestions you receive from advisers. After determining your focus, prepare a resume that targets these goals. Ask your advisers for feedback on your marketing documents. Research companies and hiring managers in your targeted industry and approach them directly. Some candidates find that writing a personal letter, then following up with a phone call, is easiest.

7. Spend the majority of your time on the most productive tasks. Limit your Internet activity to a maximum of about 15% to 20% of your search time. You may not realize that applying for jobs posted on the Internet decreases your chances of being hired because the competition is greatest for these positions. Contacting hiring managers personally increases your prospects because fewer people are likely to do so. To ensure you don't stay on the Internet too long, set a timer for your allotted length and turn off the computer when the timer goes off.

Meanwhile, increase the time you spend networking. Ms. Nix's clients often tell her that "their network is dead" because the people they know have lost jobs or no longer work in the same industry. She tells them about "six degrees of separation," the concept about everyone in the world being no more than six people away from knowing everyone else in the world. "I try to get them to understand that there are infinite ways of talking with people," she says.

Develop networking contacts by asking everyone you contact if they can suggest names of others for you to call. Offer to discuss what you've learned about the job market with people you talk with.

8. Don't expect quick results. Candidates who are committed to hard work are more likely to persist in the face of adversity than those who don't realize the challenges they face. "A job search is more like a marathon than a sprint," says Ms. Scarborough. "You have to pace yourself because you're at risk of crashing and burning, and then you might not do anything for a month or two."