Job hunting can be a very stressful thing for many people. If you're between jobs, the thought of not having an income for a while can be overwhelming. Not to mention the fact that you need to really impress when it comes to the application process.
Like any other type of stress, job hunt stress can become paralyzing and have a hugely negative affect on your ability to source and secure a job. However, there are some simple strategies that you can put in place to minimize your stress and help you land your dream job in a fun and exciting way.
Strategies To Minimize Job Hunt Stress
Below are four actions that you can take to help you minimize stress while job hunting.
1. Listen To Music
When you're browsing job boards online, tidying up your resume or getting dressed for your upcoming job interview, play some of your favourite tunes and get your groove going.
Music has proven to have many scientific benefits that will help you stay relaxed, stay positive and stay focused on the task at hand.
Music also creates a more fun environment to help you reduce your job hunt stress.
2. Go Somewhere Different
There's no need to lock yourself away silently staring at the computer screen at home. You're currently not working, so why not enjoy it as much as you can?
Keep things exciting and interesting and make the most of your current time off of work. Go out, find new places and explore the world while you're job hunting. Try going to libraries, cafes, parks, beaches and take your laptop with you.
You might just find that when you take yourself out of your normal environment and into something new that you think more clearly, have more positive thoughts and can actually job hunt more effectively and efficiently. This is a sure-fire way of reducing stress while job hunting.
3. Join A Class In Your Area Of Specialty
This is a great one. Not only will you be keeping up to date with the latest skills and expertise in your industry, you'll also have the opportunity of meeting other people with similar interests and who will also have contacts or networks that you could tap into to support your job hunt.
Joining a class will help you stay motivated, energised and focused on what it is that you do best. It will help you maintain your confidence throughout the job application procedure and will ultimately support you in minimising any job hunting stress.
If you're at college or university and you're looking for graduate jobs, then you're already in a great place. Speak with your tutors and lecturers and see where they can support you.
4. Involve Your Friends And Family
Job hunting in isolation can be very stressful. However, there's no reason why it should be done alone.
Your family and friends can be your best support while you are job hunting. Not only will your they be there to support you and keep you motivated, they can also act as conduits to more opportunities and a wider network to call upon.
The more support from family and friends you have, the more relaxed you will feel while job hunting.
All in all, when you're out of work, enjoy it as much as possible while you can! Finding a job can be a full-time job, but you're in control of that full-time job. So why not make it a really fun one?
The leaves are changing, the kids are back in school, and that familiar chill is in the air. You think it's the perfect time to look for a job, and it is! But are your job search fears preventing you from making that leap?
It's not uncommon to feel lost when embarking on your job search journey. After all, school teaches us everything except how to get a job. What should you put on your resume? What questions should you ask in an interview? How can you stand out in the hiring process when there's so much competition?
Are you feeling spooked yet?
Believe it or not, there's no need to be afraid of the job search process! You can land your dream job with the right tools and strategy. You can find a job that won't give you nightmares. Here are three spooky secrets every job seeker should know as they look for a job this fall.
1. An Effective Job Search Starts With An Interview Bucket List
Bigstock
Despite your fears, you've decided to take the plunge and look for a new job. You might be asking yourself, "Where do I start?" The answer is simple: start by creating an interview bucket list.
An interview bucket list is a list of 10-20 companies you'd love to work for. Are you passionate about a company's products or services? Do you feel connected to its mission? Can you relate to its values and beliefs as an organization? If you answer "yes" to any of these questions, that company probably belongs on your interview bucket list.
Once you create an interview bucket list, you'll be able to conduct a targeted job search, one with direction and a foundation upon which everything else will be built. An interview bucket list helps you focus your job search and networking strategies on the right opportunities, making it easier to get your foot in the door at one of your dream companies.
2. Your Job Application Needs To Disrupt Hiring Managers
Bigstock
In order to stand out in the hiring process, you need to disrupt recruiters and hiring managers. You accomplish this by doing two things: optimizing your resume and writing a disruptive cover letter.
A well-optimized resume includes keywords from the job description. This ensures your resume gets past the ATS and into the hands of the hiring manager. Once it's in front of the hiring manager, it needs to grab and keep their attention. Quantifying your work experience—adding numbers to your bullet points—will make you stand out from other applicants. Hiring managers will want to know more about you and your accomplishments, and that's how you land a phone interview.
Before that, though, a hiring manager will read your cover letter. To disrupt them, you need to write a disruptive cover letter (obviously!). A disruptive cover letter gives you the opportunity to tell a story about why you feel connected to the company you're applying for. It's that storytelling aspect that will stand out to hiring managers and compel them to pick up the phone and give you a call.
3. Employers Hire You Based On 3 Things
Bigstock
You can't get hired unless you know what employers are assessing you on in the interview process. While your skills and expertise matter, companies actually hire for three things: personality, aptitude, and experience (in that order).
Most job seekers don't realize how important it is to demonstrate their personality, aptitude, and experience in an interview. You could have the right experience for a job, but if the hiring manager doesn't think your personality is a good fit for the company culture, you probably won't get a job offer.
Make sure you demonstrate your soft skills and learn how to answer behavioral interview questions to prove you're the best candidate for the job you're applying for, not just the most qualified.
Want To Learn More Job Search Secrets?
As you look for a job this fall, it might be helpful to know some more spooky secrets so you can get over your job search fears and finally take control of your career.
We know the job search process can be scary. However, it's important to get clear on what you want to do next and focus on conducting a strategic job search, or what we refer to at Work It DAILY as job shopping. This is the only way to effectively market yourself to employers. If they can't see exactly where and how you add value, then that's going to decrease your chances of landing the job.
The competition is fierce, and there are a lot of factors that are out of your control. But the one factor you can control is your job search strategy, the tools and tactics you use to land a job.
If you want to learn the secrets to conducting a strategic job search, sign up for our Job Search Bootcamp, a two-hour, on-demand video workshop that comes with a free workbook.
In this video workshop, you'll learn:
How to use backchanneling to get directly to hiring managers.
The secret to using a connection story to stand out against the competition.
How social media can be your secret weapon to get job interviews.
The resume format that is getting job seekers more job interviews.
