How To Survive a Job Search
Some people say that searching for a job…is a full-time job. Unfortunately, you don’t get paid to do it, even though it is…
- Time-consuming
- Mentally draining
- Repetitive, boring, but eventually, something you might get good at
(Side note: This all sounds mildly insane, right? The idea of doing something time-consuming, mentally draining, repetitive, boring to get into a situation where you’re doing….all of those things. A job.)
All jokes aside, I assume that if you are reading this, you don’t…
A) Get paid (enough) for doing nothing (passive income)
B) Have parental money that enables you to not work
So, if you’re reading this, you’re probably looking for a new job or you’re a student looking to break into your first “adult” gig. There are many ways you can survive a new job search, and some of them are below (please be careful, some are rather extreme measures). Here is your five-step process for surviving a job search:
Step 1: Outline What You Absolutely Hate Doing (And Will NOT Tolerate At Your First Job). Then, DON’T APPLY.
I can’t stress how crucial this part is. Half the battle of finding the right job is knowing what’s NOT the right job. From personal experience, I can tell you that going to an interview and knowing that there’s not a fit halfway through the interview is even more discouraging than not getting an actual job.
It makes sense. You’ve just wasted your time investing in something that you decided to do (the job interview). And it turns out that it was never the right fit from the get-go.
Looking for a job is mentally draining enough. You don’t need to shoot yourself in the foot by not knowing what you want. I recommend outlining what type of salary range you are expecting, as well as the tasks you’ve disliked doing at your previous jobs and the attitude of the coworkers that you won’t stand for. I can’t tell you how many people I’ve talked to are taking interviews “just because”.
Your time and your sanity are more valuable than the security of potentially getting a job you don’t like, anyways.
Step 2: Create a Simple Routine
By simple, I really do mean simple. The more complicated a job search, the worse you off you will be. Since you are going to be working a job, start treating your search like one.
Get up at a certain time. Take lunch. End your work before dinner time. Job searching will now be a part of your everyday routine, and it will eventually seem a little easier.
Step 3: Track EVERYTHING by Using a CRM
I’ve always been a big proponent of using a CRM to manage your personal time, appointments and more. Traditionally used by salespeople to manage companies and relationships, I believe personal CRMs are a life hack that everyone should use.
You can manage your job searches as though they are your “customers” and even set yourself reminders to follow up with them, take notes and save files.
Some awesome CRM tools include:
Step 4: Celebrate the Small Wins
Don’t throw a party just for getting an interview. However, maybe a beer or two after a meeting that went well could be appropriate. 😊
Step 5: Realize It’s Not All “You”
Going through three rounds of interviews and not getting the job can really, really suck.
But you know what? Some people don’t even get past the first. And quite frankly, the person they chose over you? They probably just got it over you because they connected with one decision-maker a little more than you did. Or maybe they wore the right colour tie.
When it comes down to super-tough decisions like this, people are people, and they’re influenced by emotion and pre-conceived biases just like the rest of us. Not getting a job is not an indictment on who you are, your work and how you would perform as an employee.
Keep your chin up, and keep going.
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