Job hunting can sap your energy and confidence. These tips will help you take care of your mental health while job hunting!
Let’s face it – job hunting can take a long time, with lots of applications, waiting, and near-misses. There are ways to make it easier and be kind to yourself so you can keep up your confidence and wellbeing levels. These tips can help.
Be strategic about your job hunting
When you desperately need a pay cheque coming in, it can be tempting to apply for anything and everything. But this approach saps your energy and doesn’t always work! Employers can tell when you’re desperately applying for dozens of jobs that are irrelevant to your experience, and they don’t like it.
Instead, have a strategy in place. Know how many hours you want to work, in which area, and what your salary range is – and whether you’re willing to take something that’s less exciting to you for the sake of experience and an income.
Whatever your strategy, decide on it and stick to it. Focus is always better than “throw everything up in the air and see how it falls,” which will depress and burn you out very quickly.
Set yourself achievable tasks
“I will have landed a job in the next month” is not completely in your control. You could write amazing applications, do brilliant interviews, and still not get the job because of someone with more experience.
What is within your control, though, is “I will spend at least one hour per day on job searching activities such as researching jobs, writing applications and preparing for interviews.”
On that note, notice that we said achievable tasks. “I will apply for five jobs every single day” is a tough goal and you might feel overwhelmed by it. Find a goal you know you can achieve and will feel good about achieving. For example, maybe you could apply for at least three jobs a week? Find your balance, then set an achievable goal you can stick to.
Ask for help
Asking for help can look a number of different ways.
Do you need someone to check your CV or cover letters before you send them off?
Ask a friend with strong writing skills, a parent or teacher, or a careers advisor at your university or college. There is also lots of good information about improving these skills online. See if you can find advice specific to where you live and what business areas you’re interested in. See our CV tips for beginners and our graduate CV tips.
Do you need financial help while you job search?
Speak to your college or university to see if they have any hardship funding available, ask your parents or other family member if they’d be willing to help you out, or check if you’re eligible for Jobseeker’s Allowance or other benefits. Try not to get into debt if you can help it, but in a pinch you can ask your bank for an emergency overdraft or credit card. You can also check the Youth Employment UK student finance section to pick up tips to hang in there financially.
Asking for help can also mean needing someone to vent to.
Sometimes you just need to talk to someone about how difficult it all is, even though you don’t want or need their advice. Meeting up with a friend and sharing stories about your job hunts can help relieve stress and help you smile again.
Don’t beat yourself up!
The job market is tough, and you’re trying your best. Try to catch yourself in spirals of negative self talk such as “this is hopeless,” “I’m unemployable,” or “I really messed up that interview” before you get too deeply into them. Try to consciously reframe these thought patterns in your mind. A positive attitude is about finding useful ways to cope with tough times, not just about being happy.
Try to (literally) say to yourself: “I’m doing my best in a really difficult situation, and I just need to keep trying. The right job will come along.”
Make time for you
Remember to make time for your mental health and wellbeing and for the things you enjoy. Spend time with your partner, friends, family and pets. Keep up with your hobbies. Get plenty of fresh air and some exercise. Eat nourishing, healthy meals. Get plenty of sleep. Allow yourself a treat every now and then. Develop a meditation or mindfulness practice. Write a journal. Ideally, you should be doing at least one thing that nourishes your physical or mental health and one thing that brings you joy every single day. Self care is important when you’re job hunting.
Seek mental health support if you need it
If you find yourself getting really depressed or anxious, you need to seek help as soon as possible! If you feel sad or hopeless all the time, no longer enjoy activities that used to bring you pleasure, have trouble eating or sleeping, or find yourself worrying excessively about the future, you don’t need to suffer alone.
See your GP, who will refer you to appropriate services and assess whether you need medication. There is usually a long waiting list for counselling on the NHS, and private therapy is very expensive, but some providers operate a “sliding scale” fee structure – do a Google search for what’s available near you. You can also call the Samaritans for free on 116 123 for a non-judgemental listening ear.
Remember: it will get better
However hard it feels, it will not be like this forever. You can do this. We believe in you!
