Maintaining personal growth and mental health: habits and ideas to be aware of during job hunting (Bite-size Article)

Currently, I am a student living in Canada and I’m looking for full-time employment opportunities related to web development. Although I have been managing to get by with freelance work and a few part-time jobs, finding full-time employment has been quite challenging due to the poor economic climate.

Recently, through a friend, I had the chance to hear about someone who was also looking for work in the web development industry. She started her job search in 2022, and only recently found employment, more than two years later.

While I am not an expert, through this blog post, I want to share my personal views on how job searching can impact our minds. Additionally, I’d like to explore together how we can continue personal growth and maintain our mental health during this time. Currently, I am also searching for a job and I am not in a position to give advice, but if this can help someone, I would be pleased.

Firstly, based on my personal viewpoint, I have thought about the types of emotional reactions that commonly occur during job searching.

😞 Anxiety: Job seekers often feel a vague anxiety about whether they will find a job and what kind of job it might be.

😥 Stress: Prolonged job searching and repeated rejections can lead to chronic stress.

💔 Inferiority: Frequent rejections can decrease self-esteem and lead to feelings of inferiority. This is particularly noticeable when comparing oneself to other job seekers.

🌂 Low Self-Esteem: If continuous job searching does not result in success, an individual’s self-esteem and sense of self-efficacy can significantly decline. This can also lead to a decreased desire to engage in social connections and activities.

These are the aspects that I particularly feel, but how about you? Do you think many people feel the same way?

Next, let’s consider how to handle these emotional responses that arise during job searching and guide them in a positive direction. Here are some ideas focused on managing these reactions and maintaining a positive outlook.

1. Accumulating Successes to Boost Self-Esteem:

Getting hired is the ultimate goal of job hunting. However, if achieving this goal proves difficult, the job search can become prolonged. The longer it lasts, the more likely you are to experience the aforementioned emotional reactions, which can lead you into a negative mental state.

When the goal seems large and challenging, it’s crucial to break it down into smaller, manageable objectives. This technique of goal management is extremely important.

For example, improving the quality of your resume to advance to the interview stage (focus on reaching the interview without worrying about passing it initially), setting a weekly target for numbers of applications to meet (applying itself is an action you can complete immediately, right?), might be good approaches.

Although these aren’t directly the final goals of job hunting, they are significant steps toward employment. By achieving these smaller goals daily, you can boost your self-esteem and use these successes as nourishment for your personal growth.

Tip: Techniques for Maintaining a Positive Mindset Despite Setbacks

Setbacks often lead to experiences of failure, which are generally considered situations to avoid. However, adopting a “learn from failures” approach is extremely effective for personal growth and building resilience.

By learning from failures, you can view them not as personal shortcomings but as opportunities for learning. This perspective helps soften the psychological blow and use these experiences as stepping stones to the next stage. This mindset isn’t only applicable to job searching but can be employed in all aspects of life to help form a stronger, more adaptable individual.

2.Utilizing Social Support

Job searching tends to be a long-term battle. Throughout this process, it is crucial to have the support of family, friends, or professionals with whom you can share your experiences.

When job searching does not progress well, people can feel isolated. Having trustworthy family and friends around to share difficulties and brainstorm solutions together can be a significant help for mental health.

For professional support, if you are a student, consulting with your school’s career services staff is a good idea (I recommend this because surprisingly many people around me don’t utilize this resource). Additionally, many countries and local governments offer job support organizations and services, so it’s worthwhile to look for and utilize such resources locally.

3.Stress Management Techniques

When you feel tired during your job search, regardless of the outcomes, it is important to consciously take breaks to rejuvenate your body and mind. Regular rest is necessary for recovery. As mentioned in a previous article, setting aside one day a week, similar to a Sabbath, to completely disconnect from work and refresh can be an effective method. Moreover, even if you haven’t found a job yet and might not feel up to it, taking a short trip for a few days can also be a good way to change your scenery and uplift your spirits.

Through this brief article, I’ve tried to summarize my own feelings about mental health and personal growth on job-hunting. Recently, with the impact of AI, we often hear news about major layoffs at many companies includes big techs. It might be becoming a difficult time for web developers and programmers to find jobs. However, there must be opportunities out there, so let’s steadily and thoroughly tackle each task we can.

Thank you for reading!