8 Tips for Keeping Your Energy Up During A Job Search
1. Ask where you stand in the process
Candidates usually don't know where they stand in their interview processes. It can feel like pouring energy into a void.
You’re allowed to be direct and ask for an honest take on where you stand.
This can help level set your expectations and offset excess anxiety that would otherwise persist when trying to grasp the unknown.
2. Keep your momentum strong
Keep applying, reaching out to hiring managers, looking for value aligned roles, and interviewing despite where you’re at in your search.
You never know how things will turn out and having a consistent flow of leads can help instill a degree of confidence.
This helps so when one role doesn’t go as planned, you can pivot right into the next. Don’t let a single rejected opportunity bog you down.
Let go of the opportunities you know aren't right so you can keep your energy focused on a few solid ones.
3. Keep it professional
Rejection is part of the process. It’s inevitable.
If and when it happens, thank the team for their time and end on positive terms.
Ask to stay in touch for future opportunities that align with your skill-set and interests. You never know how things will circle back (and they almost always do at some point).
4. Find a community of others who are also going through the job search process
Having the support and encouragement of others in the same circumstances as you is truly unmatched.
These folks can not only act as a support system and motivational source when things don’t work out as planned, but also keep an eye out for you in your search and help connect you to the right people. And vice versa!
5. Lean into other hobbies, and time with friends and family you otherwise wouldn’t have time for
Think of your job search window as an opportunity — not only to lean further into finding a role that aligns with your values, but to tap deeper into your interests outside of work that you typically aren’t able to.
If you love hiking, cooking, interior design, painting, art, writing, taking your kids on day trips, exploring new restaurants, creating new recipes, etc…whatever your creative outlet is, I encourage you to lean into it.
Creativity channeled through these extracurricular activities will only help you bring more energy and perspective into the interview process.
6. Build your personal brand and start sharing your professional thoughts in public
If you haven’t already started posting your own content through professional social outlets like LinkedIn, now may be an incredible time to start.
Sharing your learning’s, perspectives, ideas, and passions through a channel like LinkedIn can not only help garner the attention of recruiters and hiring managers but strengthen your communication skills.
Understanding how to convey your strengths, weaknesses, goals, and aspirations by leaning into your own personal content creation will only come back to help you in the search process.
You’re also likely to meet other job seekers along the way you can build relationships with.
7. Remind yourself that all nos lead to the right yes
Remind yourself of the values and non-negotiables you’ve set out for yourself prior to starting your search (and if you haven’t done that yet, I’d highly recommend writing out what’s most important to you so you always have that as a North Star).
If a company chooses not to hire you, it means they couldn’t see you as a fit in their culture or for the exact role, which is overall a positive!
The ideal role is one that’s a win on both sides of the equation. You want to land somewhere where they’re excited about you and vice versa.
Think of “no” as a quality control filter. The “yes” you want is soon to come after you refine your search enough through the “nos.”
8. Take away learnings from each interview process to inform your growth forward
Reflect after each closed interview, what went well and what didn’t?
What could you have communicated better? What did you leave out of your conversations you wish you would’ve mentioned?
Could you have prepared better? Did you set yourself up for success in the process by continuing to take care of yourself?
Ask the recruiter you worked with to share team feedback after you’ve wrapped things up with them so you can grow forward into the next set of interviews.