How To Survive An Endless Job Search Without Losing It

Despite the unemployment rate holding at around 3.7%, it’s not all roses and champagne corks for those seeking employment. Job growth is notorious for regional differences and often centers in certain industries. If you happen to excel in information technology, things look great. If not, the job search can prove less friendly. If you’re stuck in the middle of an endless job search, how can you survive the experience without losing it? Don’t Take It Too Personally It’s true that you have some influence over your job search success in terms of proper preparation and connecting the dots between your experience and the position. The reality, however, is that getting the job isn’t just about you. You must compete not only with other external candidates but potential internal candidates. You may also face unexpressed expectations about personality or culture fit that you can’t ever prepare for. Those things have nothing to do with you or your performance, and you shouldn’t beat yourself up for not landing every job. Takeaway: Your interview happens inside a bigger picture of needs and expectations. You can only influence some of them. Look For Help Working in isolation taxes you mentally and emotionally. It can also give you a level of tunnel vision. After all, how many times have you looked at that resume? Do you think you’ll spot a typo in it after draft number 75? Getting some input from a third-party can give you fresh ideas and also help you spot lingering problems on your resume. Money starting to worry you? Consider connecting with a staffing agency for some temporary work to stabilize your finances. Takeaway: Don’t think you must do it all alone. Friends, family, and even staffing agencies can help you weather the process. Stay Socially Engaged As the job search wears you down mentally, it’s tempting to withdraw from your social network. Unless you’ve managed to land a job, no one wants to face questions about how their job search is going. Yet, you should make an active effort to socialize with your friends and family. Socializing can give your mental health a much-needed boost and support your physical well-being as well. Takeaway: Don’t withdraw. The momentary pain of fielding job search questions will be more than offset by your better mental health. Don’t Give Up On Your Job Search Just because the unemployment rate is low, it doesn’t mean everyone finds it easy to land a job. If you’re in the middle of an endless job search, don’t take it personally. Look for help from friends and family. Stay socially engaged with your social network. These things will make the process more bearable and potentially more successful.