The job search is a great test for your self-esteem. After a number of rejections, even the strongest willed person is bound to feel some doubt. Questions like "Am I doing this right?" or "What's wrong with me?" start to fill your mind. If you don't learn to fight back against these feelings, you'll find it very hard to continue
applying for jobs. In order to properly fight back against feelings of anxiety and depression, it's important to recognize the signs:
- Avoidance of favorite activities
- Increasing feelings of irritability
- Lack of motivation
- Trouble falling asleep
- Trouble getting out of bed in the morning
- Extended periods of sadness or anger
- Assuming the worst in any situation
If you are starting to feel some or all of these symptoms while looking for work, you need to take a step back and fight them before continuing any further. Here are some helpful tips to keep yourself positive:
- As long as you are doing your best, there is no reason to beat yourself about the process. Remind yourself that most everybody is going through the same thing these days.
- If the job hunt is getting too stressful, consider taking a day off from it. Spend that day doing things that make you feel better about yourself. This will help refresh you when you start up again.
- As bad as things seem, feeling sorry for yourself won't help your situation. As The Boston Globe wrote, companies are actually hiring. Just because you have not had success yet doesn't mean it won't come. Maybe you'll look back on those rejections someday and realize that it was for the best.
- Remember that it's not as personal as it seems. It may feel like a job reaction is a personal assault against your character. It could just be that there was someone just a little more qualified than you. I am a firm believer that good things will come if you have ultimate confidence in your talents.
