A job market is a tough place for everyone today. Job hunting is often stress-inducing and energy-sapping. But taking care of your mental health while job hunting is important. Here are a few steps you can take to keep yourself in check.
Be strategic with your job search
It cannot be emphasized enough, but strategy conserves energy, time, and effort, making the process less stressful. Aside from knowing which organisations/areas you want to apply to, salary, team culture, etc., also ask yourself “why” you want this or that job. How do your options line up with your overall career goal?
Set achievable tasks
There are things that are not entirely within your control. One of which is the time frame needed to land your next position. Another is what hiring managers are really after. You could write amazing CVs and cover letters, be brilliant in interviews, but these don’t guarantee 100% that you’ll land the job. However, you can always dedicate a set of achievable tasks. “I will apply for three jobs every week so I would need to prepare X amount of hours per day to research, write high-quality applications.”
Ask for help
Do you need someone to check your CV/cover letters before sending them off? Ask from your network or friends who have strong writing skills and who have a good streak of job hunting advice. Good places to start are online communities and LinkedIn. Remember to ask for specific advice as you don’t want them to consume their time on something that’s not important for you.
Remember that you can seek support from your peers. Don’t beat yourself up for not landing the job you want tomorrow as there are many opportunities out there you will likely be attracted to. Read more about how you can build a job hunting strategy in the new normal.
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