By Sarah Epstein, Marketing Assistant at Speak for Yourself

I am a cliché. I am a millennial with a liberal arts education, looking for a full-time job in a brand new city where I’m moving  to be near my significant other who is in medical school. I just returned from spending 8 months in Southeast Asia. See what I mean? Cliché.

I’m not sure I’m qualified to give advice to other job-seekers, as I don’t have a job yet. That said, here are a few Do’s and Don’ts that I’ve learned from the job search process.

Do: Find healthy ways to cope with the stress. While I normally turn to cookies and… well, more cookies for comfort, I’ve started directing my stress into healthier outlets. I’m training for a 5k, eating healthful foods, painting a lot, and leaning on friends and family for support.

Do Not: Do not sit at home all day everyday. Find new places to sit and work. Explore a new café or bookshop. A change of scenery can help the creative juices flow and keep you from going stir crazy.

Do: Network. A lot.

Do Not: Do not expect every connection to be eager to help you or talk to you. People are busy.

Do: Make a to-do list each day. Set a goal that you’ll reach out to X number of people or set up X number of coffee dates with professionals. A list ensures that you maintain structure to your day and helps you feel more goal oriented.

Do Not: Do not try to do everything at the same time. You’ll end up submitting a cover letter with the wrong company name on it to a company that you really want to work for. One thing at a time. We millenials are still figuring this one out.

I don’t have the secret to finding a fulfilling, well-paying, prestigious job. The economy is tough, many companies use a poor hiring system, and job seekers do not know how to market themselves.

The combination of these forces makes a job-seeker want to bash his/her head against the wall or crawl into a bathtub full of cookie dough and watch a marathon of Gilmore Girls.

I think I’ll just go for a run, instead.

 Note from Karen: Sarah’s Do’s and Don’t’s list apply to all of you who sell anything. And that’s all of us. It’s all about your strategy, plan, and persistence.