I am unemployed and depressed, how can I stop depression from affecting my job search?

Maybe you need to deal with your depression first, seek help and some techniques (info, skills,coping mechanisms) that can help you deal with your depression while you search for a job!

This is very common, so go easy on yourself. Find some other people in a similar situation (a job club, a friend or two, a MeetUp group, etc) - you can keep each others' spirits up and you'll get extra eyes looking out for suitable jobs. Go for a daily walk or time outside. Keep a journal of what you have achieved, write a list of all your positive qualities, ask your friends & partner to remind you what they like about you. Volunteer: it raises mental health and creates a network for you. Do something you really enjoy not something you "should" do, or something related to the work you're after. (Hopefully that's the same thing!) Hire a career coach, or use support from your old university, the government, unions, charities and so on. Don't rely purely on those job adverts by email websites, that's the least effectie way to find a job. Make sure you're also contacting employers directly, asking your friends and family to ask around for leads, and check-out a book called What Color is Your Parachute. That's book I use with my career coaching clients and its method is the most effective for finding a really great job.

Try reaching out for support, either to 7 Cups or to your loved ones. Be kind to yourself, do things that you enjoyed doing before feeling depressed. Also don't forget to go outside.

This is a very tough and common problem for people with depression. Find a way to get excited about the job search-- it can be very fun. Find a peer to help you with your resume and make an activity out of it. Treat it like an art project (a good resume is a work of art). Help them with theirs in exchange-- it will help make it feel more like a group activity. Draft your 5-10 template cover letters (the ones you will be copy/pasting and slightly revising for every job you apply to). Proof read them and show them to everyone. The first step to feeling good is looking good. Having these essential tools at your disposal will give you a burst of confidence, knowing that you look good on paper and will have already made a good first impression long before walking in for the actual job interview.

Think about your abilities which can get you a job and try to stay positive. This can help you resolve problems.

Your depression is a result of your worry about your present state- Which is Unemployment. But in truth you should be thinking of your future .( Like what will you be doing with the money u earn etc). This will keep you going. IT will remind you the reason y started it all in first place. :)

Try to think about your life before you job loss. Were you happy and full-blown. Also, aren't seeing things in a different perspective now ?

Try your hardest to keep your head up and don't be so hard on yourself. Being unemployed is one of the toughest things any of us can go through. I know it might not be easy but just try to keep yourself positive. Everything will fall into place and you have to try to look at the brighter side of things.

You must get established in that which is non-changing to deal with that which is changing, through meditation, I would say. Also know deep in your heart that everything which belongs to you will come to you, no matter what you do, right or wrong, and nothing which does not belong to you, will come to you, also no matter what you do. Knowing that, do all the appropriate things, but relax.

Focus on what you did that day vs what you did not do. Focus on what you have accomplished in the past vs what you didn't accomplish. Remember the experience that you have. Leave little notes of encouragement to yourself throughout the house. If you get out of bed, that is an accomplishment in itself. If you work on your resume, you did something amazing that day. If you apply to one job, wow! great job! Really celebrate your accomplishments, because it is hard to do anything while depressed, and any little step you take towards your future is worthy of celebratoin. Remember, our depression wants to validate itself so it will look for reasons to bring us down: counter those thoughts with positive thoughts. It is not your fault you have depression, and regardless of why you are unemployed, sometimes unemployment is just unavoidable. This is a beautiful new beginning of your life. You have almost limitless options! The only obstacle is believing in yourself. Take it minute by minute if you have to. Think of things you can do to try to get pumped up before job searches or after a hard day of unemployment. Reward yourself. Love yourself and have patience. Good luck!