Job seekers face a variety of challenges, and it’s too easy to get burned out by the slog of an unproductive job search and feel application rejection.
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In these instances, it may be time to step back and put things into perspective. While job hunting is important, there are only so many hours in a day to look for work, and it’s easy to overdo it.
Here are some tips for job seekers to help avoid burn out and get the best return for the energy they put out, even in the face of adversity, such as application rejection.
1. Schedule a Time Every Day to Look for Work
Some job seekers work 24/7 looking for stable employment, not bothering to stop for almost any reason. They feel as if putting themselves under stress will improve their results. This is a fallacy and is damaging to our psyches.
Instead of trying to handle the job search all day, we should try making our job search more like a job. We should schedule an appropriate time every day to look for work. Make sure that the period of time allocated is lengthy, so any tasks are done. We think you will find that productivity goes up, especially if you can look for work consistently at the same time every day.
Even better, this approach will help prepare for your eventual employment by teaching discipline as well as healthy motivation. Also, something as inconsequential as application rejection will seem to be less of an issue, because you probably will have many more job applications being considered by promising companies.
2. Practice Self-Care
This tip seems simple, but we are surprised how difficult it seems to be for most job seekers. Losing a job is rarely the former employee’s fault. Instead, the blame usually relies on several different factors, including the employer’s work environment, the state of the economy and more. However, we’re constantly surprised by how job seekers punish themselves for their gap in employment. Even if you are at fault, punishing yourself for being unemployed helps no one.
Instead, treat yourself as you would treat a friend in the same situation. Small pleasures in life, such as going to a park or visiting with friends over a latte, probably should be curtailed but shouldn’t be eliminated. Make sure to spend time with, and enjoy, your family. No matter what you may think, they probably are sympathetic and may even be happy to see more of you.
If you indulge in some simple and inexpensive self-care, a rejected job application will probably lose its importance in your mind, as you realize that life is far greater than a simple job. Your inner child will also stop feeling punished, which will help you cope more strongly with anything the world can throw at you.
3. Make Sure to Stay Social
In a similar vein, it’s very easy for you to isolate yourself from the outside world. Doing this may even seem to enhance productivity. But this strategy is hurtful, and the job seeker who isolates will probably take longer to find a job than someone who stays social.
Social people simply have more resources at their disposal than job seekers who isolate. Networking groups can help you with the job search by providing information on specific positions, as well as giving general tips on resume building, etc. Church groups and volunteer groups can give great references, as well as job hunting tips.
These groups will help you understand your worth as a human being, which isn’t limited to how much money you make or what your job title happens to be. The support that these groups provide will illustrate that application rejection, while frustrating, isn’t the end of the world.
4. Don’t Fall in Love with a Company
While some companies are better than others, making one particular company your only employment goal is never recommended. While you may have done your research regarding that particular company, they may have a corporate culture that you don’t understand or may simply have different goals in private as opposed to their public face.
So, if a company rejects your application, your job search should not be completely derailed, as you know not to “put all your eggs into one basket”. One company may seem to be a perfect fit for you, but you spread multiple applications around just in case.
5. Reflect on Your Performance
There’s a lot of advice out there about how to deal with application rejection. But one piece of advice that many articles give is to reflect on what you’re doing if it’s not working. All too often, those looking for jobs find themselves doing the same thing over and over again while accomplishing nothing. After a few failed job applications, it may be smart of you to reflect on your resume and interviews to see what may be improved.
However, if you decide to do this, avoid any sort of ruminations! What’s done is done. Dwelling on the past and regretting every mistake you’ve made in the job hunt won’t help you and may lead to anxiety or depression. Instead, realize any mistakes that you’re making can be fixed moving forward, and move to fix those mistakes. This will help put any rejected job applications you may have experienced behind you.
6. Rejection May Have Nothing To do With You
There are plenty of reasons why your application may have been rejected. Sometimes your resume doesn’t get past the application program. Other times, the qualifications are misstated. Regardless of reasons, there is a very good chance that your application was rejected for reasons beyond your control, and it’s important to never stop trying.
Remember to Keep Your Chin Up
While these tips won’t alleviate all of the stress that goes into your job search, they will help when the next application rejections come in. Remember that failure is an essential part of success, and no one is perfect all of the time. Treat yourself with respect and patience, while still working towards your goal of employment, and eventually you will succeed. The job of your dreams is just around the corner!
If you’re an applicant looking to connect with incredible business opportunities, contact us at Mapertunity! We’re here to help.
