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How to deal with job search burnout? Great question! Job searching is one of the top 3 most stressful things a person does in their lives, along with getting divorced and buying a house. It does not help that the job market is currently extremely competitive with many more people looking for jobs than there are positions. You are most certainly going to encounter job search burnout if you are applying for hundreds or even thousands of jobs and are still unemployed.
It is important that you recognize the signs of job search burnout and that you manage it in a healthy manner in order to be persistent in your job search and successfully land a job. Here are some tips to help you manage your job search burnout!
4 Tips for how to deal with job search burnout
It is ok to have job search burnout
Job hunting is not easy. It takes a lot of time and effort to comb through search engines for new positions daily, tailor your resume and cover letter when you find an appropriate posting, and finally applying. Repeat this process hundreds of times only to never even get an interview is demoralizing.
Even worse is finally getting an interview or two, prepping yourself to go through the interview rounds and being SO close to landing that job, only for the company to choose a different candidate.
Of course you would have job search burnout!
It is only human to be burned out when you are putting so much work and effort into something only to be rejected again and again. Resilience and persistence can only last so long when you are starring at a barrage of rejection emails and soul sucking silences of ghosting and non replies.
The rejections are not a reflection of your value
I want to stress that the barrage of rejections coming your way in your job search is in NO way a reflection of your competency, capability, or value.
You have A LOT to offer and can bring a lot to the table if given the opportunity.
There are so many things that can go into the hiring process that have nothing to do with you. Your resume may not even be seen by any human being! You resume may have automatically been rejected by an automatic tracking system (ATS) because you did not include the right keywords. If you think this may be the case, you need to work on your resume.
Related: How to write a resume in 6 steps
Another strategy to make sure your resume is being seen and getting in front of the right people like the hiring manger is to network. This will significantly up your chances of finding a job because it will significantly up your chances of getting an interview!
Related: How to get a job fast
Part of the job-hunting process is also a numbers game. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of applicants for a single job posting. The odds are not in your favour, even if you are 100% qualified. There is a very good chance that a recruiter or HR did not pick the most qualified resume to interview in a stack of hundreds.
In fact, HR has absolutely no idea what qualifications make a person a good candidate for a specific job. So do not tie your self worth to the random chance that HR chooses your resume for an interview!
There could be reasons why you were not selected as a candidate after an interview that have nothing to do with your skills and qualifications or how well you prepared and answered the interview questions. There could be internal reasons such as fitting in with the team, politics, or an internal candidate that prevented you from getting the job.
All this to say that the rejections you are experiencing are not a reflection of you. Remember this.
You are not your job
Do not let your job or your lack of job define your value. Separate your identity from your job. You are so much more than just a job.
You offer so much more to the world than just working at a job. You have hobbies and passions and are a whole person. You contribute so much more to society and the people in your life than just being employed or not.
You are a friend, a daughter or son, a sister or brother, an aunt or uncle. People value you in their lives whether you have a job or not.
Give yourself a break
When dealing with job search burnout, it is important that you take care of your mental and emotional health. You need to take care of yourself so your self esteem does not take a hit.
Take a short break from the job hunt process if you need to and if your financial situation allows for it.
If your financial situation does not allow for a short break, then make sure you take some time out of the day for some self care. Find an outlet to destress, whether that means taking a nice long bath, lighting a candle, doing some yoga, or hanging out with family and friends.
Find a hobby or passion! I know, I hate it when people give the generic advice of “find a hobby”. How are you supposed to find a hobby when you are utterly depressed and do not care about anything? But finding something to do that you enjoy, even a little, will add value to your life.
Finding things that add value to your life will help with your self esteem and job search burnout. It will help you deal with all the rejections you are getting. It will help you to not take the rejections so personally because as I’ve stated earlier, you are so much more than a job!
You need to take care of yourself so you can continue the grueling job search process and not spiral into a state of despair. It can be a marathon and not a sprint. So be easy on yourself and take it day by day!
You only need one opportunity to be in the right place at the right time to land that dream job and change your life!
So there are 4 tips for how to deal with job search burnout. I hope these tips get you through the stress of job searching. You aren’t the first person to go through job search burnout and you definitely won’t be the last!