Overcoming Anxiety
By Elijah Thomas
Looking for a job can be one of life’s more stressful experiences. Perhaps you tend to worry over how you stack up against other candidates, or can’t stand the endless waits for a call back. Maybe a period of unemployment means that money is especially tight.
Depending on how soon you begin stressing out, negativity could impact how you present in the critical interview process that will decide who gets hired or passed over. Here are a few tips on overcoming anxiety in your job search:
AVOID OVER-ANALYZING
In the absence of concrete information, everyone tends to begin thinking a little too much. You spend a lot of time and effort with the hope of landing a new job, from crafting a resume to preparing to meet a potential new employer, and then the waiting game begins. Perhaps your prospective employer has a long list of fellow candidates, or outside forces like a market downturn or internal reorganization slows things down. But even a few days can feel excruciating, depending on how excited you are about the opportunity. Take a deep breath and relax. These things always take time. Stay focused on the main objective: presenting as an upbeat, can-do candidate in a new work environment.
MAKE IT A LEARNING EXPERIENCE
If you’re further along in the evaluation process with a new company, these worries can become an important tool for improvement. Do you feel like you could have done a better job with the interview, or tweaked your résumé to more closely fit their objectives? Make constructive changes to your approach now, even while your intended boss is still deciding, and you’ll be a stronger candidate next time. If discussions revealed the need for more project experience or special training, focus on identifying those opportunities and get them scheduled.
KEEP YOUR OPTIONS OPEN
Sometimes, we feel overwhelmed because we get stuck in a rut. If you’ve been on an interview merry-go-round, consider applying for related but different jobs. A retail customer-service rep, for instance, can leverage the same skill set in other industries. Begin crafting a second resume that indicates an openness to work outside of your current job sector. The key to a more positive attitude about your job search may just come down to
