How to stay productive When the job hunt is hindering your happiness
The job hunt, full of ups and downs, can feel like a full-time job in itself. Just as you feel like you are getting somewhere promising, slow processes and fear of the unknown can come knocking.
Searching for a new job can be incredibly intense and demanding, and it often takes a significant toll on your mood. It can be easy to closely associate your career with your identity, making the job hunt feel like a quest for a missing piece of yourself. Until you find the right fit, it's common to feel incomplete.
No matter your situation –whether you are stuck in a position you have outgrown, are experiencing a misalignment with workplace culture, or have suffered a redundancy– it’s easy to feel like you are letting yourself, or others down. This can exacerbate the spiral.
Moreover, searching for a new job means constant exposure to rejection. Feelings of failure can creep in no matter how many times you tell yourself not to take it to heart. The struggle can impact your motivation to keep trying and it can be hard to keep out intrusive thoughts.
It is normal to feel the weight of extra anxiety and stress during your job search and when it’s such a slippery slope it can be tough to overcome the gloom.
The good news?
There are effective strategies that can help you manage your mood, enabling you to shine in interviews. Putting your best self forward will help you catch a role that makes you excited inspired, and on track for what you next need in your career.
Staying motivated and positive: Expert tips from Sharp & Carter Recruitment Professionals
1. Structure your search.
Regardless of whether our thoughts are organised or chaotic, we all have an inherent desire for control. Introducing structure to your search will help you manage the uncertainty of your unknown future.
Scheduling your activities and establishing boundaries and breaks will help to keep your fears at bay. Maintaining a clear direction and celebrating small daily achievements will enhance your sense of productivity and keep you moving and motivated. For example, every morning you might want to allot 1-hour to updating your resume while the coffee is still hot.
Approaching your search with a structured plan allows you to achieve small victories.
Accomplishing these goals boosts your sense of capability and competence, helping you to shift the negative mindset and reignite your motivation.
2. Break it up and celebrate small wins
Staying organised can help prevent feelings of overwhelm and the temptation to slip into worst-case scenario thinking. Doubting your chances or questioning whether you should bother are not helpful to your cause or your mindset.
Maintain your focus by following a step-by-step plan for each small goal. Approaching your search like a work assignment will allow you to keep stresses in check.
For example, after coordinating with a recruitment agency and securing an interview, you can break down your steps into smaller tasks. Start by researching the organisation and organising your notes. Then, prepare your interview outfit, check in with the recruiter, and make sure you have everything you need to arrive on time.
Breaking the process down into achievable items to tick away helps the overwhelming nature of the process feel within your control.
3. Take breaks to remain present for yourself
Nonstop interview preparation might seem like the quickest and most efficient way to land a job, but this can make it hard to stay focused. Burnout is a real concern, and the more out of control or desperate we feel, the more at risk we are.
Pacing yourself and balancing your time properly will replenish your energy keeping you fresh for when it is most important.
Taking time to rest, recharge and rejuvenate is essential and can positively impact your job search. Engaging in activities like going for a walk, trying out a new hobby, or enjoying a movie and meal with loved ones can provide a much needed break, allowing you to return to your preparation with renewed clarity and enthusiasm.
You can also continue preparing by embracing less formal approaches that still contribute to your job search. Focusing on soft skills, expanding your network, and reconnecting with mentors and colleagues, for example, can help you strengthen your connections and present unseen opportunities.
Whilst landing the job is the goal, keeping your life and health in check keeps you fresh and able to put your best self forward.
4. Don’t go it alone, have emotional support
The process of applying over and over can evoke fear and limiting beliefs. Bottling up the experience only increases the stresses that weigh you down and affect you emotionally and physically.
A sleepless night makes you tired. This infringes on your ability to present your best self. Instead, understand these emotions as triggers and signals to adapt your approach.
Reaching out to a loved one who understands you can remind you that you are valued and loved for who you are, and that your challenges do not define who you are.
Voicing your challenges, or even just talking about your day with a trusted person can help you to feel grounded and held from limiting beliefs.
5. Know your triggers and trust yourself
Take a moment to understand yourself: what situations trigger stress or get you down? Is it uncertainty? Lack of preparation or the feeling of being caught off guard?
By identifying the specific triggers of your stress, you can expect your reactions and build emotional buffers to cope.
You might find for instance that your anxiety spikes when you do not receive feedback after an interview. Lack of an immediate outcome might send your overthinking into overdrive or drain your motivation to keep checking off boxes.
A strategy to overcome this trigger is to ask your interviewer for their recruitment timeline – when should you expect to hear back? Taking these actions can help to prevent uneasy feelings of uncertainty.
Just like you wouldn’t go to work ill, it’s important take care of your physical, emotional and mental wellbeing while searching for a new job. By following these tips, you can better manage the challenges and their toll on your life.
"An ongoing commitment to healthy habits will help you thrive." - Feyona Lau, High Performance & Wellbeing Director, Sharp & Carter
What does this mean for me in my job search?
By acknowledging your needs and taking the time to care for yourself, you are committing to finding a fulfilling role that reflects who you are. This sets you up for long term success and happiness.
Recruitment agencies can also offer crucial support in this process, offering exclusive market insights and guidance to help you explore opportunities that align with your goals and values.
Remember, there is never any need to undergo the journey alone. At Sharp & Carter we are a specialist recruitment agency, and we promise to bring humility, humanity and care to your job search.
How can I apply this thinking if I am the one looking to recruit somebody new?
First and foremost, the right person for the job is always so much more than a list of skills on a resume. We know that all humans have lives and desires that are as important as the jobs that they do, and this is often what sets them apart.
When you really understand people and prioritise their best interests, you know the right environments for them to thrive – and that’s when everybody wins.
Whether you’re navigating the job market or seeking to complete your team, the journey doesn’t have to be solitary.
Get in touch with the Sharp & Carter team today.
