Have you ever met a person who gets excited about their job search? I know sometimes people feel thrilled about the prospect of being able to move on from a role that is no longer a source of joy to them. You may be filled with optimism at the start of your search as you anticipate all the good things about new employment—a salary hike, a fresh start, and career progression. But often, our perspective of the job search, in the start (or before that) is rose-tinted. After a few unanswered emails and rejections later, you realise the route to new employment is nothing like a walk in a lavender meadow.
If you are thinking of quitting your job, you are already not at your happiest. Many people quit their jobs because they don’t like their managers or they feel their growth is inhibited. Your self-concept may not be at its optimum best because of the compensation you are receiving or a lack of appreciation/opportunities. Add to that, a job market that seems hell-bent on taking away your optimism, one rejection at a time.
You wonder, how long will you pay your dues. Thinking becomes overthinking, as you end up feeling unable to sleep well, work well or even socialise with confidence till you get the job you want. It is incredibly sad and it shouldn’t be this way.
How job search anxiety can impact you negatively
Rejection can give you low self-esteem
When you apply for a job (or many), you do so with a lot of hopes. You often think that you may be perfect for a role but keep getting rejected for the same. Sometimes, HR doesn’t even get back to you about whether you are making it to the next round, leaving your follow-up emails unanswered. Sometimes, you make it to the final round and get hopeful, only to be let down. This process can be very detrimental to your self-esteem. You begin to question everything—whether you are actually good at what you do, whether you did something wrong in the interview process if your resume is bad. It just leads to a downward spiral, if left unchecked.
You may begin to lose faith in your future prospects
When your job search isn’t going as well as you’d expected it to go, you may begin to doubt your future prospects. In fact, the longer your job search is, the more disheartened you feel about your career.
You may end up continuing in your current job
If you are looking for a job to move out of your current one, and you aren’t unemployed yet, it may make you feel like you should stick to the shore. “When I was looking for a job before the current one, I faced a lot of disappointment. The stress of it was taking a toll on me and it still triggers me sometimes. The new one feels like a mistake and I did try to switch, but the rejections remind me of that time and I don’t have the bandwidth to go through it again,” expressed Pratiksha.
You may feel under-confident in social situations
A prolonged job search can impact your confidence overall. Many people tend to attach their self-worth to where they are working or how they perceive their career prospects. We’ve been socially conditioned to, right? Many people start avoiding social scenes and withdraw into their shells because they feel under-confident. They think everyone is doing much better than them and it triggers their job search anxiety.
You may settle for less than what you deserve
Out of desperation and low self-confidence, one may end up settling for less, be it in terms of compensation or in terms of role. “I wanted to go from journalism to marketing content but I wasn’t getting hired. I had freelanced in the domain but hadn’t done anything full-time. After so many rejections, I felt maybe I am not good enough. My confidence dropped so much, that I was willing to run right back into journalism and with just any job. But my friend kept telling me that I could make it,” Shahin explained. She added, “Eventually, after a huge phase of me shutting down and losing hope, I found a job in a globally renowned brand and I am so glad my friend talked me out of giving up.”
How to not let a prolonged job search ruin your self-confidence?
Studies show that emotional pain activates the same areas of the brain that physical pain does. Here are some ways that will help you avoid losing your self-confidence due to a prolonged job search.
1) Analyse your rejections
When a person is anxiously seeking a job, they may end up applying everywhere possible. Even if they know in their heart, that they may not be a good fit for many of them. Instead of shooting out resumes blindly, take your time to really build your application for each organisation where you actually have a shot. And each time something doesn’t work out, ask for feedback if possible. You can also ask a mentor or someone senior than you to have a look at your cover letter and resume.
2) Make an excel sheet
Excel sheets are great to get data organised and while applying to so many jobs, you need that approach. Instead of making your experiences feel like a personal defeat, convert it into data you can use and analyse, by placing it all on an excel sheet. Make a sheet of company names, roles, contact details and application status. The next time you are looking for a job, this sheet will be useful too.
3) Focus on what you can change
Sometimes, the things that are working against you are not even in your hands to change. Say, if you really want to go for a role but the HR is unresponsive, you aren’t able to get your resume through irrespective of how much you tried, or the role you were seeking was put on hold—there is nothing you can do. It can feel excruciatingly painful, to know you may be perfect for a role but still not getting it due to circumstances not in your control. But focussing on this will only cause you more pain and discouragement. Instead, divert your energies to things you can work on and stick to that.
4) Have emotional support
Job search can take a toll on one’s emotional wellbeing. In this scenario, you may begin to feel irritated over small things and just want to socially withdraw but remember, keeping people who love you close, can heal you. From time to time, you will need people who believe in you and who remind you of your self-worth.
5) Take a break
Lastly, when you are feeling too overwhelmed, remember to take a break from all those job applications. You need downtime, wherein you will not obsessively check your email or job apps on your phone. Do something that relaxes your soul and take a complete break from work madness. It will help you rejuvenate, get some perspective and feel better.