We’ve all been there before—no matter how many applications you’ve sent, you haven’t been able to land any serious interviews or job offers. This lack of opportunities can take a toll on your self-confidence, discouraging you from applying altogether.

It can be easy to fall into this trap, but building up your confidence after this frustrating experience is the remedy to getting back on track. Having a clear head and a good attitude won’t just encourage you to keep moving forward, but it will also help you send out more high quality applications!

Looking to grow your confidence as a job seeker? Consider these 5 tips:

Take time to yourself

The process of job searching can be grueling, which can lead you to a total burn out before you even hit your stride. In order to avoid a crash-and-burn situation that ultimately causes you to doubt yourself, make a promise to take at least an hour a day to do something you enjoy. At first, you may feel like this is time wasted, but remember that like any job, sending applications is a full-time commitment you should take breaks from.

See yourself as a solution

As you’re applying, try not to view a job offer or opportunity as something that solely benefits you. Instead, see yourself as the solution to a variety of issues a company needs to resolve. For example, if you’re an administrative professional who specializes in facilities management, imagine that a company is specifically looking for someone like you to make their processes more efficient. As a job seeker, the ability to visualize how you can help a company can not only build a lot of confidence, but will also improve the way you write your resume and cover letter! When you’re stressed and looking for a job, it’s understandable to fall into the trap of calling your professional and self-worth into question. But, if you actively make an effort to see yourself as a solution and not a risk, you’ll be much better off when you are choosing which opportunities will be right for you!

Dress the part

Even if you’re staying home all day while you apply to jobs, wake up in the morning and get ready as if you need to be in the office for the next several hours. It can be tempting to stay in your comfiest pajamas the whole day, but this can also curb productivity and motivation. Don’t feel pressure to wear your nicest business attire, but do make the effort to dress as if you were going to a casual meeting over coffee or lunch. It’ll help you focus and feel better about yourself during the process.

Set an achievable goal each day

If you approach job applications with a “cast a wide-net” mindset, you run the risk of creating a messy and disorganized process that makes it difficult to track your progress. Ultimately, this could cause you to lose confidence in yourself for foolish reasons. Instead of pushing yourself to your limits, commit to sending a set amount of really strong applications a day. If you decide to put all of your attention on only a couple of jobs per day, you’ll be much happier with the strength and the quality of the work you are able to produce.

Recognize that some things are out of your control

Before receiving a call back from a potential employer, the most you can do is submit your application and follow-up with someone at the company if their contact information is provided. There can be a variety of reasons why you didn’t receive a call to interview, and many of those are things you cannot do anything about. Instead of harping on what you could have done better, do a quick evaluation of your application materials and see if there’s anything you may want to tweak. What you can control, however, is how you react to set-backs and your ability to start over!