How to Get a Job: Stay Positive for Months

If you're looking for a job, get ready to stick it out for four months—and keep up that can-do attitude. Researchers tracked the job search experiences of 177 unemployed subjects for 20 weeks and found that 72% of them got work, particularly those who maintained a good outlook. That was easier at the start of the study, when subjects spent an average of 17 hours a week job-hunting and felt increasingly good about the project, the Atlantic reports.

But by the study's fourth month, their attitudes had started to sink, and time spent job-seeking fell to about 14 hours a week. Of course, positivity can be tough to maintain: "Searching for a job isn't like learning a skill, where maintaining a positive attitude may be easier as you see improvement with effort," says a psychologist. "Beyond landing a job, you get almost no feedback." One tip from a researcher: Look for support from friends and create a daily routine for yourself. (More job search stories.)