In your search, working hard won’t be enough to get you a job. You need to be smart about it, or else you’ll end up spending a lot of time running in circles. If you want to reach your goal, here are some tips on how you can be a smarter job seeker.

Look at your finances – Depending on how prepared you are with your search and how long you’ve been out of a job, your finances can be a major consideration. You need to have enough money to get by until you can find a job. Check your assets to see if your finances can last, and find areas where you can stretch the resources you’ve got.

Take a full inventory of your skills, strengths, and weaknesses – You may have skills that you didn’t even realize could be useful in your pitch with an employer. You may also discover areas in which you’re not really as strong as you think, and which might be what’s stopping employers from hiring you.

Set realistic goals – Goals exist for a reason: to keep you focused and motivated. You feel good when you accomplish goals, and this feeling will have a beneficial effect on your job search. Don’t set goals that you can’t achieve; otherwise, you’ll just waste your time and effort.

Have self-improvement projects – When you’re looking for a job, you need to remember that your product is you. When someone buys something, they want to make the most out of the item; they’re going to choose something that gives them the most benefit. So, you’ll want to continually improve yourself through training or education.

Stay positive – Don’t expect too much, or else you’ll find yourself disappointed. You need to stay positive throughout the duration of your search. There will be a lot of challenges along the way, and you need to stay the course and persevere to achieve your goal.

There’s an old saying: “Work smarter, not harder.” It’s actually okay to work harder, but trying the tips I’ve mentioned here can make your job search not only smarter, but hopefully a whole lot shorter, too