How to Deal with the Struggles of Searching for a Job
Staying motivated while looking for a job can be challenging. Many people are looking for jobs currently in America. Statistics from April 2022 show that the unemployment rate in the U.S. is 6.7%, and 10.7 million people are searching for a job.
Employment puts a lot of pressure on our lives – it feels like from the time we are little, we are starting to train for our professional position in society. We go from pre-k to high school to college to learn as much as possible in hopes of getting a good job. We all dream of getting a good job and being financially stable. But what happens when you are struggling financially? What happens when you are struggling to find a job?
This article will discuss what trying to find a job in 2022 is like. People can feel stress from the process for many different reasons. This post will also go over ways to cope with stressors and healthily deal with obstacles in our professional lives.
Society’s Effect
As a society, we must discuss the struggles of being unemployed or searching for a job. Many people in their early twenties who just graduated college usually go through a period of uncertainty. They go through what is referred to as post-graduate stress, Post Commencement Stress Disorder, or PCSD. This stress comes from graduating from school and worrying about all things job and future related.
Many people felt a sense of security while being in school their whole lives. After graduation, they feel like they have been thrown into the “real world,” like a baby bird that is not yet ready to take off and fly.
Some people are lucky and land a job not long after graduation; others struggle for years trying to find a position. Other people end up switching career paths and working in areas they never expected to!
The Stress of Searching for a Job
Obviously job search burnout is real. Why is job hunting so stressful? What are the job search anxiety warning signs?
Application Hell
There seems to be a “We’re Hiring” or “Urgently Hiring” notice attached to each job posting. You spend hours perfecting your resume and ensuring that each experience you’ve had is neatly listed on your resume or CV. You spend another large amount of time perfecting your cover letters for each job and trying your best to seem like the best candidate. It feels awesome when you eventually get the job – your hard work all paid off! Unfortunately, it can be upsetting when you don’t get the position or never hear back.
Sometimes it feels like you are applying to so many jobs and hearing nothing back. You may feel like you keep trying to get noticed but ate shouting into an empty void! Why do all jobs say they are “urgently hiring,” but you never hear back from them?
You think: Why is it so hard to get noticed? Why does it feel like I will never get an interview? This constant state of rejection can make people’s self-esteem waiver. Our self-esteem is tied heavily to jobs – people can struggle with purpose in life, worthiness, boredom, etc., when unemployed. A Harvard Business article even suggests that losing our jobs means losing our identity. A 2014 study reported that being without a job for an extended period leads to higher depression rates.
Social Media’s Role
Social media can have negative impacts on our self-esteem and self-worth. It can also make us feel increasingly lonely and isolated.
Imagine you are sad that you graduated and are still searching for a job. You decide to go online and see that so many people you graduated with are posting about their jobs and new positions they’re starting. LinkedIn is a popular social media site – this platform can sometimes act like a Facebook page for professional people. As happy as you may be seeing your peers succeed, it can feel bittersweet watching everyone else thrive when you feel stuck.
Interview Problems
After endless hours of applying, you finally heard back from the position! You get excited at the new chance to have an interview and hopefully land yourself this job.
New stress comes along with the next stage in the hiring process. Interviews can be very nerve-racking for people searching for a job. Some people thrive under pressure, answer interview questions amazingly, and have no problem being their confident selves. On the other hand, many people struggle with this process. The thought of trying to prove you are the best candidate out of everyone else can be intimidating.
You may prepare before the interview, but right when you log onto that video call, your nerves get the best of you. You find yourself not making much sense, rambling, and overall bombing the interview.
Many people during a pandemic started to be interviewed only through video platforms. An in-person interview can throw these people for a loop – this can be very stressful for people who are not used to this face-to-face interaction after being online for so long.
Stressful Results
There are a few options that result from the interview process. For one, you can get ghosted. In our article about ghosting, we discussed this phenomenon’s different forms. Professional ghosting can happen to job candidates. Professional ghosting is when a job ghosts you and doesn’t follow up on how the interview went.
You may have thought you did well in your interview or connected well with the hiring team. After getting your hopes up can be very upsetting to know that you were left hanging. You wait and wait for a follow-up only to get no answers or closure on what went wrong. It also makes someone feel like their time was wasted and not valued because they didn’t receive a response.
Another scenario could be that you land the job, which is great! You should be proud of yourself for making it through the sometimes very-extensive interviewing process. Sometimes, people have to go through multiple interviews or complete lengthy tasks (which is usually just unpaid work for the company) to be considered for the job.
You should feel excited that you made it through a bunch of applicants and be confident in your abilities…right?
Imposter Syndrome
Unfortunately, many people face imposter syndrome when starting a new job. Imposter syndrome, as mentioned in our previous article:
There are times when we all doubt ourselves. We may feel that we are not knowledgeable enough or lack the credentials and experience to carry out specific tasks. This can be true in some instances; all experts, even the most knowledgeable ones, still started as beginners. Finding areas in your life that you can improve on or grow in is normal! However, this self-evaluation turns into a problem when you are already qualified or even overqualified and yet still view yourself as not being good enough. This idea is called imposter syndrome. Researchers explain that people experiencing Imposter Syndrome feel like their success is a facade; in other words, they worry that this front will fade and reveal them as a “fraud.”
Even though someone is highly qualified and got chosen for the position for specific reasons, they feel like they are not good enough. People with imposter syndrome often sit around and wonder when people around them will realize that they aren’t good enough. Their self-esteem is affected by all this. Feeling like you are not good enough every day or that you shouldn’t be in the position you have can cause you to feel discouraged about your capabilities. Many of us find value in our work; when we feel like we aren’t good enough to be where we are, it can make us feel bad about ourselves.
You may be happy that you finally got a job, only to end up feeling like you don’t belong.
Toxic Work Environments
Another factor that comes into play when we talk about the professional world of our society is the type of working environment. Many people complain and say nowadays that “people just don’t want to work.”
This statement is simply not true. Many people want to work and are actively searching for jobs (as the statistics before showed). People want to work, but they:
- Aren’t getting chosen for these positions.
- Are getting professionally ghosted.
- Don’t want to be treated terribly by their workplace anymore
- Are burnt out and exhausted
A toxic work environment is when a job creates and fosters an unhealthy environment for employees. You may have to deal with a micromanaging and mean boss, mean colleagues, unsafe conditions, discrimination, harassment, or more. Overall, in these environments, people are cliquey, and it feels like you are back in the high school hierarchy.
In our past article, we shared statistics showing that one big reason people leave their job is toxic work situations. In other words, toxic work environments make people quit all the time, and no one seems happy.
How To Cope With the Struggles of Searching for a Job or Working
1. Take Breaks When You Can
Searching for a job can make you feel unmotivated, to say the least. You feel like you are running in an endless race that you are falling behind in. Sometimes, you just need to accept that you are trying the best you can and allow yourself to take a break. Taking a mental health day might be necessary in order for you to recharge and rest.
We are humans, not machines. Allow yourself to rest when you need to and practice self-care. Your mental health is more important than a job application or cover letter!
2. Show Self-Compassion
Not getting a job can lead to self-criticism entering our lives. We start to bring ourselves down, pick apart our flaws, and blame ourselves for not being better. Continue to be kind to yourself while searching for a job. Self-compassion and self-love urge you to value your happiness and put your physical, emotional, and mental well-being first.
When you can accept yourself non-judgmentally, support yourself unconditionally and care for yourself, you grasp one of the most powerful tools to live a happy life. Self-compassion allows you to give yourself grace and kindness when you make mistakes or fail (like we all do as humans). You deserve to comfort yourself and stop being so harsh!
3. Know Your Worth and Improve Self-Esteem
Comparison is truly the thief of joy. When you go on social media and compare yourself to others, it can lead to low self-esteem and worth. Focus on stopping the comparisons – instead, try to use other people’s success as motivation. Being happy for others will, in turn, make you feel more optimistic and less bad about yourself.
Work on boosting your self-esteem. You contain infinite worth and value. Your job or professional life does not define who you are as a human being- you have hobbies, interests, passions, and ideas that truly make you who you are!
4. Change Perspectives
Remember that having a fulfilling job is great, but sometimes people don’t have “dream jobs.” The idea of a dream job makes some people feel like they need a strong passion connected to their work. If you don’t have this passion, you may get stressed and feel like you need to be constantly looking for this connection.
Instead of focusing on this “perfect” job, try looking for a job that fits your needs. You may find a job that you usually wouldn’t see yourself doing, but it checks off a bunch of areas you are looking for in a job. It has good pay, is close to your home, offers benefits, etc. Your work-life doesn’t have to be your only passion; the job can be there to support your passions, desires, or hobbies outside of work!
5. Review Professional Resources
If you are struggling to find a job, your efforts may need to be revamped! Consider asking for a friend to review your resume or cover letter and see if there is anything you can improve. There are also many other resources you can turn to where a professional can review your supplies and give career counseling. Many colleges offer these resources for free to their students and alumnae.
Here are some useful articles we’ve published that can help you with work-related issues:
6. Consider Therapy
Mind Connections wants to support you! Our career coaches and therapists can help you deal with the struggles of searching for a job. Our work together can help you identify areas needing improvement in your life and help you feel more prepared professionally. Therapy can also help you build self-esteem, cope with stressors healthily, and improve self-love!
Content Creator, Victoria Gallo; Reviewed by Dr. June Cao