Post-College Chronicles
3 Mindset Shifts to Beat Job Application Procrastination
Use your psychology to your advantage
I write this as I procrastinate on applying for jobs* Being a 2020 college graduate is the lot I was given. So believe me, I can tell you what I’ve learned after months of being a recent college graduate thrust into the job economy in the middle of a crisis.
These are the most important lessons I’ve learned.
Applying for a job does not mean you’re accepting that job
It simply means that you are finding out more information, that you’re giving it a harder look. Yes, if you make it into the door of an interview, that will take work and time to prepare for. But then, you’ll need that experience, know-how, and confidence anyway to land a job.
It’s even more about finding a match than competing
At least try out thinking about the search in this way. Take some of the pressure off by (1) Knowing that rejections in job settings are rarely ever personal, and (2) Realizing that you yourself are also sussing out the situation to see if this is an environment you want to be a part of.
You need to be excited — but sans the attachment
Let yourself DREAM a little. You need this to keep fueled during the search, and you need this to show at your interviews as an enthusiastic bundle of potential.
At the same time, job rejections can break your heart if you’re not careful with your projections: where you would live, how you romanticize your lifestyle to be, the fabulous friends you’ll surely meet. After all, in any job in any location, it’s all speculation until the rubber meets the road. You’ll always be surprised.
I am not going to wish you a happy job search, because that is an oxymoron. Instead, I wish you endurance and lovely pit stops along the way where you feel supported by the people you love in the hardest job: finding one.
*Author is no longer searching for jobs — she’s found one. Yay!🎉
