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HEATHER: Hello and thank you for joining Episode 17 of Talent Connection, a podcast about connecting job seekers and employers, produced by Cachinko. My name is Heather Huhman, and I am the founder & president of Come Recommended, as well as the Career & Recruiting Advisor for Cachinko. I’m joined by my co-host, Tony Morrison.
TONY: Thank you Heather, and good afternoon. My name is Tony Morrison and I am the vice president of Cachinko. Cachinko is an online professional networking tool for jobseekers. We offer recruiting platforms for professional recruiters and employers. We also have another platform in development specifically for jobseekers to search for their ideal jobs at companies that interest them and meet people who can help them to get connected to key individuals in those companies.
HEATHER: Today’s episode is “Job Search Stress: How to Manage It & Where to Get Help.” Tony, let’s get started. Do you think job search stress is heightened in this high unemployment marketplace?
TONY: Yes. Absolutely. Nobody is immune to this stress. Of course, displaced workers feel the stress of losing their job and having to find another job to make ends meet. The stress of the economic environment also affects the survivors of workplace downsizing. They are stressed because they have lost their work associates and uncertain about their own future at their current company.
Certain industries have been devastated with significant consolidations and termination of specialty skilled workforces. It can seem impossibly challenging for displaced workers with many years in a specific industry to find jobs that fit their experience. This combined with unemployment being so high relative to the numbers of jobs that are available month-to-month causes very high job search stress levels.
HEATHER: How can job seekers manage their stress throughout their job search?
TONY: Whenever I think of managing or reducing stress, I think of a key message from a Dale Carnegie book, “How to stop worrying and start living.” The message is to compartmentalize your life.
It is too easy to get caught up in the stress of finding a job. You lose sleep over it, which causes more stress, which causes other aspects of your life to spiral out of control. It’s a vicious cycle. By compartmentalizing your life, you try to narrow focus on specific aspects of your life and devote time to each to maintain some semblance of balance.
Start by getting organized.
The first thing you worry about when you lose a job is finances, so get them in order and reduce all unnecessary expenses. Organize your resumes, cover letters, reference letters, certifications, diplomas or degrees, career network and job search contacts, information about companies of interest, job applications, notes you keep on recruiters and hiring managers with whom you have spoken about specific jobs, etc. It sounds like a lot of information, and it is, which is why you must organize all of it to manage your job search efforts effectively.
Keep accurate notes for every encounter.
Maintaining a detailed account of your job search and documenting your search efforts is valuable for when you are pursuing similar opportunities at different companies. You should not reinvent your entire employment packet for a new interested employer. Just focus on updating your information in order to appeal to the new target company.
Create a plan of attack.
Schedule time for the things you must do. Set objectives and plan your tasks to achieve them. Organize your day, your week, and your month, and allocate the amount of time that you must devote to priority tasks.
Have some fun.
Schedule time within your busy day to take a breather. Have you ever been so busy you just could not take a break? Of course. We all have. That is exactly why you must. When you have completed a task, reward yourself with a short break. Take a walk. Meet a friend. Have some fun. Treat your job search like a full time job, but remember to take time off for you in the evening and the weekends to recharge your batteries and get away from your busy job search schedule.
Manage your time.
A schedule is a great way to keep yourself on task. Technology today makes it possible to do so much all at once that we have allowed multi-tasking to take over our lives, and so we rarely give anything our complete attention. Being a multi-tasker is just another way of saying you are easily distracted. I know. I am a multi-tasker too! In many situations, I think it is more productive and efficient to allocate time to a single task, and allow only prioritized distractions. For instance, receiving a telephone call from a hiring manager is a priority, and assembling the references he/she requested is a prioritized distraction. It wasn’t planned, but it is important to complete. However, reorganizing your garage in the middle of the business day or launching into a 3-day effort to redesign your landscaping are not prioritized distractions. That’s called procrastination. Schedule your time and stick to your schedule.
Exercise.
Exercise is a great way to reduce stress. Find a sport or physical fitness activity that you like to do and put your body in motion every day. It will take your mind off the job search for an hour or so and clear your mind. You will be able to think more clearly about the day ahead, your next task, or get a good night sleep. Exercise will boost your endorphin levels to make you feel good. Toning muscles will make you look better, and regular exercise improves your self-confidence, which can put you in a good mood. Feel great and look great; having an outward positive attitude to go along with a healthy, fit you is a terrific character trait to carry into an interview.
Lastly, prepare-prepare-prepare!
Take time to prepare and practice your personal brand and elevator pitch, study anticipated interview questions, stay on top of industry news, technology, press releases for companies of interest, etc. The more information you have, the more comfortable you will be to engage in a topical conversation, and the less stress you will feel.
HEATHER: Do you think talking with other job seekers can help candidates manage stress? What about talking with a career coach?
TONY: I have mixed feelings about job seekers talking with other job seekers about their search, issues they are facing, etc. On the one hand, knowing other people who are going through the same thing and who can offer support can be encouraging. The key words are “can offer support.” Interacting with optimistic job seekers who have a positive attitude and freely share helpful job search tools and techniques can lower stress levels and keep a person motivated. On the other hand, not everyone has a positive attitude, and people with a negative attitude have a tendency to drag others down turning stress into depression.
I think that maintaining a positive attitude is so important for every aspect of our lives. People want to surround themselves with others who are fun and friendly, know how to get a job done well, and can work with others effectively and productively to do it. Staying organized and optimistic is important in your job search.
Talking with a career coach may help you to reduce stress. I liken career coaches to personal trainers. Career coaches help with career fitness. If you want to be in top condition for the next step in your career, then a career coach can help you to get organized and get focused. They help you to recognize and accept your accountability for completing all of the necessary steps for applying and interviewing for your next job. A good career coach can help you to self-discover or rediscover your positive attributes, motivations, and aspirations. Once you know where you want to be, they can help you contrive strategies to get there. And, they will help you to practice and prepare your resume, elevator pitch, practice interview questions, and to handle salary negotiations. Some job seekers reject the career coaching option because of the expense involved, but for other job seekers, a good career coach can help them to get organized, realize their potential faster, which may just help them to win their ideal job sooner.
HEATHER: What activities or tactics would you suggest for job seekers who are under a lot of stress?
TONY: First, realize that stress is manageable. Most of us can cope with stress. We just have to find the right coping tools. Compartmentalizing your life by treating the job search like a full time job, and knocking off “work” at a reasonable hour is one tactic. Enjoying in your free time activities that take your mind off the stress of searching for a job is another great tactic. Some people like activities like breathing exercises or meditation. Some like yoga or progressive muscle relaxation. I like sports and the outdoors, motorcycle racing, and rock climbing… find what works for you.
Avoid activities that will add to your stress. Frivolous spending that increases your personal expenses unnecessarily, excessive drinking which will drain your energy as well as your pockets, an unhealthy diet, and avoid the absolute worst thing, doing nothing at all. Sedentary behavior will sap your energy, enthusiasm and is the quickest way to turn stress into depression.
HEATHER: Are there support groups or nonprofit organizations that can help job seekers who are under a lot of stress?
TONY: I think the best support group is your network of family and “true” friends, but they may not always be in the mood to hear about your job search. You can try meeting others locally or online inside or outside of your profession. A little diversity in viewpoints is key to any successful team and the same is true of a support group.
Since the dramatic rise in unemployment, support groups have formed in churches, local Meetups, and online in Yahoo! Groups and LinkedIn Groups. Online you can search directories for nonprofit organizations by geography or industry sector. You will find job postings and free assistance to job seekers. The disorganized links between cooperating organizations can make navigating from site-to-site and finding the right support group for you a little tricky though. Check out your city directories and employment guides for local groups and online forums. Some of these groups not only consist of job seekers, but some may also invite recruiting professionals, career coaches, and outplacement professionals to participate.
Meeting other job seekers is also career networking. Forget for a moment that the group members are also looking for a new job. They have work experience and a career network that you can leverage, just as they can leverage yours. So, take advantage of the relationships that you build. Help a new connection out and others will want to help you too.
HEATHER: Thanks so much, Tony. That’s all the time we have for today. You’ve been listening to Talent Connection, a podcast about connecting job seekers and employers, produced by Cachinko. For details about the next episode, please visit blog.cachinko.com.
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