2020 has seen the whole world affected by Covid-19. As jobs are lost and careers placed on hold the danger of job search stress anxiety is something that is growing.
Most people are aware of the stress we face in various situations; it might be moving homes, tackling illness or a bereavement. There are many times in our lives when external pressures affect the way we behave.
It is at times like these that we often need advice and guidance to help know what to do, and more importantly what not to do. Avoiding job search stress anxiety will make you more at ease and therefore more productive.
Without the right advice, things can become more daunting than necessary.
If you have been made redundant, in between jobs or considering a change of career; the stress of budgeting your finances, maintaining a stable family lifestyle, managing your time effectively and many other issues can have profound consequences on your job searching.
Recognising that job search stress is real will make a great difference in the effectiveness of your attempts to find employment as quickly as possible.
How we deal with stress is crucial. If you can define the possible causes of job search related stress, you will be able to put strategies into place to cope with any job search anxiety that will significantly affect how you approach your job hunting, how you perform at interviews and how you relate to others during the time it takes you to get your next job.
5 Top Causes of Job Search Stress
According to a survey by CareerBuilder, over 70% of candidates say the job search process is one of the most stressful things in life.
Here are some of the candidate experience shortcomings identified by the survey, and tips on how to navigate these challenges, avoid job search stress and land the job.
1. Applications that take too long to complete.
2. Having to customise documents for every job.
3. Lack of helpful career information on a company website.
4. Lack of communication – not being kept informed / up to date.
5. Not hearing when the position is filled.
How Does the Hiring Process Cause Job Search Stress Anxiety?
Most of us are aware that finding the right candidate for a job is crucial. The recruitment process can be costly, so an employer wants to get it right.
But adopting a lengthy application process, not keeping applicants informed is seen as frustrating by many of the candidates in the survey.
Lengthy applications, lack of communication, and a slow hiring process can make an already stressful situation all the more taxing.
DID YOU KNOW?
Working long hours can get you down
Staff who work 11 or more hours a day in the office are TWICE as likely to suffer a severe bout of depression than those who work for 8 hours.
“Occasionally working overtime may have benefits for the individual and society, it is important to recognise that working excessive hours is also associated with an increased risk of major depression.”
Dr Marianna Virtanen – University College London
Job search stress can be handled
The good news is that having an awareness of job search stress is the best way of ensuring you have safeguards ready that you can put into practice. Planning ahead will greatly reduce many of the situations that can cause job search stress.
Here are some useful tips to help with job search stress:
Use your time effectively: Set a schedule that will suit you. If you work better in short bursts rather than sitting down for long periods, factor that into your schedule.
Your choice of career might dictate your best method of job hunting, if you are a tradesman it might be best to telephone possible employers and contacts when they are more receptive rather than calling them during a hectic work schedule.
Keep a job search record: Write a record of the jobs that you have applied for, where you saw the advertisement, when you sent your application form, calls you have made, CVs and speculative letters you have sent.
This serves as a great way of ensuring that you carry out any necessary follow up action and do not miss any important deadlines.
Don’t be afraid to ask for support and advice: At times it may seem as you are the only person going through the job search process. The fact is that nearly everyone has to face the process of finding a job.
If you ask for help you may be surprised and find another means of achieving your aims that you had not considered.
Sometimes two heads are better than one. There are many job clubs or groups, careers advisors and life coaches that you can access.
Use our CV writing examples and writing a professional CV pages to see how to correctly write a CV. You can also access different CV layouts.
If you are concerned about interview, why not use the services of a professional interview coach? Working together, they will help you feel more confident and equipped to handle any interview format or interview question.
Powerlessness / Pessimism: – It is easy to feel that you are not in control of your life when you are dependant on others to give you the opportunity to get that job.
Pessimism and powerlessness often go hand in hand. If during this period you can maintain a positive attitude and focus on the goal, you stand a great chance of defeating these two negative feelings.
Concentrate on your strengths and what you have to offer, not just an employer but family and friends. Be optimistic and remember you can control your future
Using NLP to Avoid Job Search Stress
If at any time you do suffer from self-esteem issues, NLP self esteem techniques may be a solution. NLP Master Practitioners are trained to help solve low self esteem problems that is said to affect many people and society in general.
NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming) does this by changing feelings associated to past bad experiences from negative feelings to positive feelings. And together with numerous state changing techniques, you’ll be on your way to more self esteem very quickly.
Go to our What Is Neuro Linguistic Programming NLP? page for further information.
Problem People: – There are certain people who live by the ‘glass is half empty’ belief. These negative people and individuals can truly bring your spirits down. You need to do whatever you can to avoid any additional job search stress anxiety.
Keep telling yourself that their mindset is not the same as yours. You are responsible for your own thoughts and actions, not theirs. Always remember that positive thoughts can bring positive results.
Some cause happiness wherever they go;
Others whenever they go.
…It is the only way by which people should be judged.
Oscar Wilde
There are many reasons for why we suffer stress, we all have different problems and need different means to cope, live with and defeat the worries and anxieties we face.
Many people underestimate the benefits of treatment and therapies such as massage, meditation, reiki and reflexology.
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