DEAR HARRIETTE: I am feeling unmotivated. I lost my job two months ago. I am getting unemployment, thank God. But no matter how hard I look or how many resumes I send out, I have not gotten a single response back. It feels like the whole world is frozen. I do know that millions of people have lost their jobs, including me, but I don't think I should wait around until things get better to look. I'm worried that if I wait too long, there will be nothing, even though it seems like there's nothing now. How can I get my spirits back up so that I can put better effort into my search? -- Job Hunt
DEAR JOB HUNT: Stay focused on your pursuit of work. I think it's important to continue to look as vigorously as you can in a virtual and safe manner. Think about the broadest range of jobs that you can do efficiently. You may want to develop more than one resume so that you can focus each one on particular skills for specific jobs.
Most important, think about who can stand as a reference for you. This should be someone who can speak to your character, your personality, your workstyle -- you. It's best to think of a few different people who represent different parts of your life and who can honestly say positive things about you. Be sure to ask them if they would be willing to speak up on your behalf. Their declarations about you may help to seal the deal.
(Harriette Cole is a lifestylist and founder of DREAMLEAPERS, an initiative to help people access and activate their dreams. You can send questions to askharriette@harriettecole.com or c/o Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.)