Most job hunters do. You may be concerned that you will not see any positive results quickly. As a matter of fact, you may find the opposite is the case. In the early stages you probably will be contacting people you know quite well, and you will find them receptive, full of ideas, and willing to refer you to other important people. Through this process you will be developing a lot of potential opportunities, which may surprise you. (The real surprise usually comes later, when you find out that most of these apparent opportunities either disappear quickly or turn out to be completely unsuitable. This doesn't mean that you shouldn't pursue them - you should, but just remember that most of them will not pan out.)
Be prepared for indignities that you have never experienced - frequent rejection, disdain by some people because you are looking for a job, criticism of your record, having to reveal personal information such as your salary, and feeling uncomfortable in social situations because you're out of work.
Also you're going to feel uncomfortable among some of your friends; some may seem quite cool toward you. The plain fact is that you may make them feel awkward, because they don't know how to help - as much as they'd like to.
When you're turned down by a prospective employer, you may feel it's because they regard you as incompetent. But in most cases, it's actually because they have no need for someone like you.
(Although it may be because you have done an ineffective job of identifying the employer's need and convincing him or her you can fill that need very well.)
These indignities may discourage you. If so, that's unfortunate - they won't go away. What they should do instead is make you indignant. This is a positive thing - particularly if the feeling is channeled into redoubling your determination to make your campaign a success. You will have uncovered one of your greatest resources when you have developed this attitude: "I'm tired of being pushed around. I know I'm good. I've got the record to prove it. Some company is going to be damn lucky to hire me."
You are under a lot of pressure - so you'll feel unusual emotional ups and downs. A job that looks about to break for you one week, will disappear the next. Conversely, something that has been dormant for a month will become active again. A particularly critical time may occur a month or two after you have started making your initial contacts, because the quality and number of referrals will dwindle and you may be left with very few (if any) possibilities after a very active initial flurry. Your best approach for minimizing the lows and recovering from them fastest is making new initiatives a key part of your daily routine. Having a lot of activity means you're always looking forward to a number of possible jobs so that if one falls through it isn't as crushing a blow as not having anything in prospect.
The specific job goal that you started off with may be replaced by one that is somewhat different.
As you expose yourself to a variety of different possible careers and job possibilities, your perspective of yourself will come into sharper focus, as will your view of what jobs are realistically possible for you. This can be a disappointment if your dream job now appears to be unattainable. Actually, this sharpening of your self-understanding is very valuable - through it you will develop a more realistic set of job requirements which, in time, should result in your finding a job that is really more suitable to your long-term needs. As wide as your acquaintanceship and your general knowledge of a variety of jobs are in the beginning, you will find that your understanding of possible jobs has been quite narrow. Expand your view.
If your search drags on for some months, you may worry that the longer you're out of a job the less marketable you become. However, if you are putting on an active and effective campaign, are being considered for several good opportunities, and are developing new leads, this should not greatly concern you. You probably are making good progress - so stick with your search (and don't panic) until you find a job that meets a high percentage of your requirements.
Finally, you may be surprised how long it takes to get an offer on a specific job. Sometimes it can be three or four months from your first interview to an offer. This is particularly true if there is little urgency on the company's part - for example, if you'd be hired to replace someone who is retiring a year or more from now. Delays like this can easily take place if several company executives are involved in making the choice. If that happens, be persistent, but not obnoxious, and make routine follow-up calls every two to three weeks.
