How to Beat Job Search Anxiety

When it comes to your body’s physiological reaction, nervousness and excitement are practically one and the same.

And yet, the feelings of anxiety versus anticipation are very different things.

When searching for a job, it’s perfectly reasonable to feel anxious. There’s a lot of factors to consider, such as where you want to go with your career — not to mention figuring out how to get there!

Fortunately, META has some tips that you can use to beat that anxiety and turn your nerves into a new positive outlook for your job search!

Let’s take a look!

Spot the Signs

The first step to dealing with job search anxiety is to recognize you have it!

There are some common ways that anxiety manifests for job seekers. If you are experiencing any of the following on a regular basis, this might be your sign you need to unwind:

You procrastinate on important things
You feel helpless
Things that usually make you happy (e.g. hobbies, spending time with friends and family, downtime activities) just don’t feel enjoyable
You are feeling or acting more irritable and standoffish
You find it hard to get out of bed
You have difficulty focusing
Your living/working environment is messy

We all experience some of these situations from time to time. But if you are experiencing them on an ongoing basis, it could be linked to the anxiety you feel from your job search.

These feelings and behaviours aren’t just symptoms of anxiety, they can also feed back into your anxiety, making you feel even more stuck. But it’s important that you don’t blame yourself for feeling this way — it’s ok to not feel ok, and it’s a perfectly natural reaction!

Now, let’s take a look at how you can resolve the underlying anxiety so you can nip these problems in the bud!

Make Mental Health a Habit

Many people feel like the best way to deal with their stress is to push themselves even harder — but this couldn’t be further from the truth!

Often what we need is balance; we need to put more energy into the things that re-energize us, not just the things that take the majority of our mental energy.

So if your job search is weighing on you, lean into the habits that give you the most support. That could be as simple as going for a daily walk, doing a daily puzzle, reading a chapter of a new book every day, or finding 15 minutes to meditate before you start working on your job search.

You can also make those habits things that help you feel like you’re taking steps in the right direction, but that also feel good for yourself. Trying to find work as a graphic designer? Do an illustration for fun every day! Want to be a professional dog trainer? Spend time with your pup! Breaking into the business world? Call a mentor to talk about your big business ideas!

It’s also important to avoid habits that can negatively affect our mental health. Consider cutting down on the time you spend on social media, for instance. Putting time limits on certain apps and websites prevents you from burning energy on those things that don’t re-energize you.

Keep Your Approach Open

It’s a big wide world out there — so why narrow down your options?

One of the things that causes job seekers to get frustrated time and time again is setting their sights on something too specific. But when you don’t cast a wide net, you won’t catch as many fish.

Keep your options open by applying to multiple job opportunities simultaneously. Don’t just try for one at a time, or you’ll be wasting time.

You might know exactly what you want from your dream job, but you may not realize that there’s more than one way to get there. Sometimes it’s worth considering taking a different job that offers you the potential to move into your dream position down the road. Or to choose a similar job role, but in a different industry you never thought of before.

You should also keep your approach to job searching itself open. Listen to your feelings and find out what isn’t working for you. Do you get easily distracted at home when you should be sending emails? Try going to the library or a café to make it easier to focus! Are you too busy in the mornings with family or chores? Try setting time aside in the afternoon instead!

It’s important to keep a routine when you search for work. By organizing your time, you’ll make your job search easy. But it’s also important to recognize when your routine itself isn’t ideal, and to make a conscious change that makes life even easier!

Keep a Positive Perspective

It’s amazing how a little change in perspective can completely reinvent our experience.

For instance, after receiving a rejection from a recruiter, you might be tempted to ask yourself:

“What did I do wrong?”

But what if, instead of focusing on the negative, you focused on the positive:

“What can I do better?”

That small change is all it takes to get your mind to stop thinking about all the things you’re doing wrong to all the things you’re doing well. And that shift in perspective can move mountains in your career.

The way you talk to yourself and think about yourself can change how you come across to others, too. If you don’t believe in yourself, why would employers believe in you?

Because of this, it’s important to catch yourself when you start having negative thoughts and spin them towards a positive perspective. This also applies to when you experience rejection — you shouldn’t take it personally or else you risk creating a negative personality.

Let Others Help

The easiest way to beat job search anxiety is to not try to beat it alone.

When you feel anxious, it’s helpful to talk about it with friends, family, therapists, and people you trust. Sometimes just saying it out loud makes you realize how manageable it sounds.

What’s more, there are people who can help you make your job search easier too!

META is here to help you manage anxiety by helping you build a personalized plan for making your job search work. We help people turn stress into success every day, and we’d love to help you overcome anxiety and step into the next step in your career today!

Conclusion

META offers judgement-free (and financially free) services to help you make your job search less stressful.

Book your appointment today to see how we can help YOU beat job search anxiety!

How to Beat Job Search Anxiety