Job searching is taxing and exhausting for our mental health. Rejection is not easy to take and while job hunting, it seems to come in battalions toward us. The process of refining your resume, filing out job applications, and going for scores of interviews is indeed an overwhelming and time-consuming process and can severely affect your mental health and overall well-being.
Career coach and organizational psychologist Adrienne Patridge says that while sometimes job searching can be an easy process, more often than not it take months to find the right job. Therefore, during this time, it is essential that you prioritize your mental health and keep calm until you find the right job.
To help you make this process easy, here are 5 steps to help you find a job that you love without making you feel overwhelmed and stressed.
Apply the Two Question Test:
The first clear strategy to make job hunting easy is to adopt a clear strategy. Do not go down the rabbit hole of applying to every job that you see online, as this is going to be a waste of time. Instead of giving into the temptation ask yourself two questions:
Does this company match my professional ethics and values?
And
Do I want to work in here?
If the answer to both the questions is yes, then go ahead to fill the application. You can also take help of online counseling portals like BetterHelp.com to help deal with your mental health issues during this time.
Stay Organized:
How we wish job hunting was a easy and straightforward process and not a long daunting path that everyone seems to dread to walk on. Job hunting involves looking for viable career options, registering on the right job portals, identifying and selecting the right offers, writing cover letters, refining resumes, securing the interviews, preparing for the interview, and lastly appearing for it.
Doesn’t the overall process look stressful? Ofcourse it does, which is why you will have to stay organized and keep things under control. The best way to go thorough the whole process is to jump one hurdle at a time and also to lower to expectations. For example. If you are writing the cover letter, focus only on that and not on how to refine your resume further. This will help you find a job much more easily.
Early to Bed Will Make You Wise:
Lack of sleep will expedite the process of burnout and it will hit your body sooner than expected. The stress of finding a job can affect your REM sleep significantly. However, it is important to rest for an adequate number of hours to refresh our body and mind so that they can keep up with the process of job search. There is a direct connection between emotions, sleep, and productivity, which in turn will help you get the perfect job for you.
Apply for Jobs You are Passionate About:
It is best not to go for jobs that you are not interested and have no enthusiasm for. However, it is also not true at all that every job will fill you with challenges and satisfaction. So, be ready to compromise but not too much. It is a practical approach for job hunting. So, apply for jobs that interest you but be ready to compromise even a little. Moreover, starting you job search with unrealistic expectations is also disastrous and can increase your stress levels. Listen to your heart but do be ready to compromise. You can resort to online therapy portals like BetterHelp to get assistance to handle the stress better during such time.
Self-Talk can Help a Lot:
Patridge also emphasizes about the importance on the way you speak and changing it throughout the process. Self-talk can help you hone the way you speak when you are faced with difficulties and setbacks. For example, when faced with difficult question your confidence and self-esteem might take a hit and this can get reflected in the way you speak. Self talk mock interviews and self-talk in general will help you a lot to deal with the setbacks when there is no one other than yourself to lift your spirits.
You search one day or the other will end with you having secured a job that offers you both personal and professional satisfaction. In the meantime, you can use the above-mentioned strategies to keep calm, confident, and optimistic. Another great option is online therapy with reputed councellors. Stress can hold back your potential significantly. So, do not let it get the better of you.
