5 Ways to Banish Job Search Stress

As you may know, April is Stress Awareness Month. Although stress is often associated as being something negative, it can be a positive factor in accomplishing a task.

Obviously, if you’re job searching, you’ll probably become stressed or frustrated at some point during the process. But it’s important to find ways to relieve that stress and, ultimately, use it to motivate yourself to accomplish the necessary tasks to land your next job.

• Get organized: In your job search, you always need to be organized. It makes it difficult to follow-up on job leads — let alone know which hiring manager is hiring for which job — when you’re unorganized. It can create an extraordinary amount of stress to feel scattered and out of control, so keep track of job search activities through a spreadsheet or online organization system to stay on top of each application.
• Set aside time to do something you enjoy: A job search should be a full-time job. But even people with full-time jobs are still able to make time for things that they enjoy, such as a hobby, activity or family time. Making a schedule, and sticking to it, is a great way to do all of the necessary activities in your job search and then give yourself time to relax.
• Exercise: You know that exercise relieves stress. So why do so many people avoid exercise? You probably feel like you’re too busy or too tired to spend time on the treadmill or lift weights. But even 10-15 minutes of exercise can boost your endorphins and improve your attitude. When you’re feeling overwhelmed during your job search, consider going for a brisk walk or bike ride—you’ll be surprised at how much it helps.
• Don’t waste time repeating valuable work: You should not send in the same cover letter and resume to every job opening. However, you should have a template for your cover letters and resume so you can fill in the appropriate information. There’s no point in re-doing work that you don’t have to. Save yourself valuable time and energy by keeping every document in case it can be useful on the next application.
• Join a community or support group: Job searching alone can take its toll on even the strongest individuals. However, there are a lot of other people in the same boat as you. Join online chats, communities, groups and industry websites to interact with other job seekers and industry professionals. Ask for advice, read through tips, and help other job seekers in their hunt. Feeling like you’re not alone in your efforts can help boost your job search and encourage you to keep moving forward.

It’s no secret that a job search is a stressful time. Relieve your stress and use it as motivation to land that dream job of yours.

What is your favorite stress relief tip?

Author:

Heather R. Huhman is the Career & Recruiting Advisor for Cachinko. She is also the founder & president of Come Recommended, author of #ENTRYLEVELtweet: Taking Your Career from Classroom to Cubicle (2010), and writes career and recruiting advice for numerous outlets.