Strategies for Keeping You Sane While Job-Hunting

Searching for a job may be one of the most stressful experiences we face. In “How to Keep Your Sanity While Job-Hunting,” career and job search author, Alison Green, presents several ways to help keep your stress level down.

Don’t obsess:
Stop agonizing over one particular job. Obsessing over one job won’t allow you to effectively move on in your search. After your interview, continue looking for other positions. If the employer you interviewed with calls you, then you can bring your focus back around to that job. If the employer doesn’t call, you’ve already moved on.

Don’t try to read between the lines:
Many times an interviewee may take what an interviewer does or doesn’t say as a signal for how the interview went. For example, if the interviewer doesn’t say “I’ll be in touch,” don’t assume you aren’t getting the job. In most cases these signals are meaningless.

Don’t kick yourself about your answers after the interview:
Most interviewers don’t expect perfection, so don’t beat yourself up because you didn’t deliver perfect answers. Interviewers know you’re human, and no one delivers perfect interviews, including other candidates.

Don’t agonize if you’re not hired:
So you didn’t get the job Chances are you won’t ever know exactly why. A better candidate may have been hired, or perhaps the position was eliminated. The point is, don’t get stuck on the “whys” of not getting a specific job—just move on.

Do other things:
Don’t become consumed by your job search. Take a break to participate in activities that help take your mind off the search.

Remember, finding a job takes time:
Plan for your job search to take a while; a lengthy search is not unusual, so don’t expect to find a job right away.

Source: Green, Alison. “How to Keep Your Sanity While Job-Hunting.” Money: On Careers. U.S. News and World Report. March 11, 2013. money.usnews.com.