How to take care of your mental health during the job search

To start, focus on what you control. Let this be the guiding principle for the rest of your job search. At each stressful juncture, ask yourself “what is in my control”? For example, you just interviewed for a role you really hope you get. You can’t control if the company that invited you for an interview will choose you. You can control: researching the interviewer(s) beforehand, showing up prepared and well researched, and sending a thank you note to the interviewer after the interview. 

Next, create a routine- don’t let a job search take over every aspect of your life. This is especially important if you’re out of work right now. Create a structured routine for the job search. This can mean keeping certain hours, like working on the job search during your usual 9am-5pm time frame. This could also look like dedicating certain days for certain tasks, like researching target companies one day, networking one day day, and sending out applications on another day. A routine could also be as simple like doing five things each day to move your job search forward. Beyond that, give yourself time to rest and focus on other things. Don’t let the job search consume you, late night panic applications likely aren’t helping you out of your current situation. 

Another way to care for your mental health during a job search is to reach out to people you know. Go through your network and reach out to previous colleagues, mentors, fellow alumni, and other professional acquaintances and ask them for coffee meetings or zoom catchups. Come prepared with questions about them, the kind of work they’re doing, and what they’re seeing in their industry. This will help you connect with others and let your network know that you’re job searching but it will also help give you ideas of where to look for opportunities. Your network is the best source of jobs, putting it out there that you’re job searching will help.

Do some job search housekeeping. In a time of stress and upheaval, it can help to focus on really practical things. This goes back to focusing on what we can control. Make a list of easy wins and sit down every day and check a few off. Update your LinkedIn profile photo, fill out any unused sections of your LinkedIn, make a few versions of your resume tailored to different jobs, attend an event, etc. A task like finding a new job can feel monumental but there are lots of little wins along the way as well. 

A job search is also a good time to upskill and grow. Look at skills that are trending in your industry and find opportunities to grow in those areas. Some ways to gain new experience or use new skills can include certifications, volunteering, freelance work, personal projects, thought leadership, and more. Make sure you keep track of all the time and effort you put into upskilling. If you are out of work for an extended period of time, it helps to show how you've grown during the break.

Lastly, we encourage you to take a step back. Spend time with friends and family, learn to bake bread, read a book, knit a hat, binge a show, train for a marathon, whatever it is, find something that feels personally fulfilling to you and that helps you separate yourself from your job search. You are not your job search. You have to take time to take care of yourself, you can’t pour from an empty cup.