Do you find yourself being exhausted from the whole job-hunting process? Well trust me, you’re not alone… The bulk of applicants suffers from self-doubt and low self-esteem while looking for a job. I know it sounds so cliché, but mindset really does matter. It’s not an easy task to spend hours searching for open positions, submitting job applications, and attending job interviews. I’m drained just from thinking about it all! So, give yourself some credit for making it this far in your career path. Be intentional about being gentle with yourself during the job search process. While applying for the job, everyone carries a lot of expectations and dreams. When these expectations are encountered with challenges, situations become automatically overwhelming. Stick around if you are curious to explore ways to cope with it.
6 Ways to be Kinder to Yourself During the Job Search Process:
REMEMBER! The road to reaching your desired destination isn’t always a straight path; there can be peaks, valleys, twists, and turns. Here are some methods you can follow to deal with rough circumstances during the job search process.
Change your interpretation of failure
By viewing it on the logical ground, whenever you go through the process of applying for a job, experiencing an interview, and selection stages, you get something new to learn. You focus on your mistakes and pick out your weaknesses. So basically that is the time for you to learn from your experience right… So how could learning be a failure? All you have to do is change your interpretation of failure and upgrade your definition of success!
Surround yourself with supportive people
You are the company you keep. We all have heard this phrase before but what is the reason behind this? Our unconscious mind absorbs vibes around us. If we surround ourselves with people spreading optimism, hope, and courage, it will boost our strength to deal with the challenging job search process.
Set SMART Goals
Are you familiar with the SMART goals formula? Okay, I’ll elaborate on it! It is an acronym depicting specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-based goals. Now you might be thinking that why am I discussing it here? I want you to look at your problem critically so that you can adopt a problem-solving approach rather than using defense mechanisms. Analyze your goals under this domain to reduce the chances of facing such type of situation in the future.
Read or listen to positive affirmations
The type of content you read influences your brain a lot. Instead of thinking destructively or hopelessly, read some motivational quotes regularly. Multiple pieces of research support the hypothesis of motivation as a stress reducer. So, make habit of reading affirmation posts frequently to be kinder to you during the job search process. Click here for a list of 30 Career Journey Affirmations.
Make a list of your achievements
When a person is entering a state of self-doubt (which most of us face during job hunting), just recall your achievements by making a list of them. That list will work as a therapist for you by flourishing a sense of accomplishment so that you can be kind to yourself.
Follow the inspirational leader in your field
Check out the journey of inspirational leaders in your field. So that you can get to know how much it takes to achieve a particular goal. How many hurdles did they face? What type of circumstances did they deal along at that time? Exploring answers to these questions will help you in regaining your self-confidence and getting rid of self-doubt.
Other than all of the above methods to be kinder to yourself, review your strategy of job application and improve if needed. Make a list of the weaknesses you noticed after every job application and try working on it. Just be kind to yourself in the entire job hunting journey, your future self will thank you!
