That’s what it feels like when a job search lags and lasts longer than expected. Susan Adams wrote a great article on Forbes.com last week citing a study on the emotional toll a job search takes on candidates. The study, which was published in The Academy of Management Journal by Professor Connie Wanberg, University of Minnesota Carlson School of Management associate dean, found most people experience an improvement in their sense of well being shortly after a job loss. If they haven’t landed a job after 10-12 weeks, however, they start to feel rejected and depressed.
Wanberg’s study confirms the emotional roller coaster of a job search is real. The roller-coaster ride from excitement to rejection and back again is always there making job searching a combination of technique and mental fortitude.
This roughly three-month mark is a good time to conduct a reality check of your job-search progress. It’s a time to take an honest look at how much time you are spending job searching versus thinking about job searching.
Looking for a job is tiring, and unless you take control of your search it can be exhausting. The good news is that you can take start taking action to redirect your energy in a more productive way.
Here are some points to remember:
Use the three-month marker to examine where you are spending most of your time.
Use a variety of job search methods. Take an inventory of what activity is getting you the most results.
Get out of your house and mingle. Even if you’re just crafting cover letters at a coffee shop, you’re changing your routine.
Talk with positive people you trust to bring clarification to your job search.
Join a job-search group.
Every job seeker goes through an emotional roller coaster, and what they learn is often one of the greatest lessons in their career.
Partner with another job seeker. Encourage each other and celebrate your successes.
Take the time to care for your mental health during a search.
Professor Wanberg’s report indicated that 72% of the participants landed a job within the 20-week study period. That’s an important finding because it confirms you have more control over the success of your job search than you may think.
What are your thoughts about surviving an emotional roller coaster?
