What 4 simple strategies could reduce your job-search stress by up to 40%?
What is stress?
Our guest expert, stress-management coach Stephanie Simpson, defined stress this way. “Stress is a perceived threat. It is a physical, mental, or emotional factor — whether external or internal — that causes bodily or mental tension.”
Do you feel stressed because you’re job-searching? Then take heart: you’re not alone. In fact, Holmes and Rahe’s life-change stress index ranks common life events by how stressful they are. On this scale, job-searching falls just below a spouse dying, you getting divorced, or you being sentenced to jail. Yikes!
Does managing your job-search stress even matter?
Clearly, it’s stressful to job-search, but does managing your job-search stress even matter? Consider these statistics:
In a study of 230 Korean nursing students, the ones who felt the most stressed about their job search were 42.8% less likely to advance in their careers.
In a study of 1261 Finnish job-seekers, those who managed their job-search stress, and therefore experienced the least depressive symptoms, felt 37% more prepared for their job search, and were up to 88% more likely to become reemployed.
In a 2-year study of 756 job-seekers, those who managed their job-search stress and reestablished a sense of personal control were up to 93% more likely to become reemployed.
Even under the best of circumstances, it’s challenging to job-search. But by managing your job-search stress, you can meet this challenge with a clear mind, a calm spirit, and a confident attitude.
With that in mind, what 4 simple strategies could help reduce your job-search stress by up to 40%?
Strategy #1: know your mode.
The first strategy to manage your job-search stress is: Know your mode.
That is, when you experience job-search stress, how do you tend to respond?
Do you fight? For instance, do you yell at your partner for encouraging you to apply for a position?
Do you flight? For example, do you avoid applying for certain jobs, because you worry they might reject you?
Or do you freeze? For instance, does your mind go blank when an interviewer asks you a question?
Remember: job-seekers who were self-aware were 11% more effective in their job searches, than those who weren’t.
This aligns with what Albert Einstein said: “If I had an hour to solve a problem, I'd spend 55 minutes thinking about the problem, and 5 minutes thinking about solutions.”
In the same way, we must identify and name how we tend to respond to job-search stress, before we can solve it. So ask yourself: what’s your default threat-response mode?
Strategy #2: know your body.
The next strategy is: Know your body.
In other words, notice your physical signs of stress. Does your heart race? Do your hands feel clammy? Do you grind your teeth? Do you clench your jaw? Does your chest feel tight? Do you have a pit in your stomach?
Stephanie reminded us that these symptoms are our body’s early warning system. Consider the parallels: a seismic sensor warns you that a tsunami is coming, so that you can flee to safety. In the same way, your body alerts you that you’re under stress; if you heed your body’s early warning signs, then you can escape a stress tsunami that might crush you physically, mentally, or emotionally.
Once you notice your physical signs of stress, consciously seek to elicit what psychologists call the “relaxation response.” Perhaps the easiest way to do this is through conscious, controlled breathing, like square breathing.
Breathing slowly and deeply sounds simple, but it’s surprisingly effective. For instance, in a study of Chinese-American immigrants, people who learned how to elicit “the relaxation response” through conscious, controlled breathing reduced their stress levels by 40%.
Strategy #3: Know your thoughts.
The third strategy to manage your job-search stress is: Know your thoughts.
Your mind is your most powerful tool. In fact, in a study of 940 job-seekers, the people who re-framed their thoughts, and told themselves that being unemployed wasn’t the end of the world, were 35% more likely to become reemployed, than those who didn’t.
Stephanie described how Dr. Martin Seligman pioneered the “ABCDE” framework to re-frame negative or unhelpful thoughts. We can simplify Dr. Seligman’s framework into 3 steps:
Observe: Without judgement, notice what you’re thinking.
Ask: Ask yourself — Is this thought true? Is it rational? Is it helpful? What are the consequences if I believe this negative or unhelpful thought?
Re-frame: What thought would be true, rational, and helpful? What thought would help me achieve my desired goal or outcome? If I changed how I think about this, what would be the effect?
Strategy #4: Know your plan.
The final strategy to manage your job-search stress is: Know your plan.
In a study of 218 South African graduating college seniors, those who made a plan to tackle their job search, experienced 11% less depressive symptoms, than those who didn’t.
Not only does having a job-search plan reduce your stress, but even better, it makes your job search more successful. In fact, in a study of 1100 job-searchers, people who had a strategic plan for their job-search were 30% more likely to receive a job-offer — and 26% more likely to become employed — than those without. Not only that, but the offers they received were for more money and at more satisfying positions.
So what’s your job-search plan? Remember: you have an 8.3% chance of getting interviewed when you apply to a job. As a result, the most successful job-seekers apply for at least 10-15 positions each week. If we back up from that number, to apply for 10-15 positions each week, then you need to apply for 2-3 positions each weekday. And in order to apply for 2-3 positions each weekday, you need to find those job openings; research those companies; tailor your cover letters; and submit your documents. Not only that, but you need to follow up on any applications you’ve already got in your pipeline. And finally, you need to cultivate and expand your network.
Does your job-search plan include these activities? Is it actionable? Is it accountable? Is it step-by-step? (If you’re just creating your job-search plan, try my weekly checklist as a starting point.)
And finally …
Stephanie concluded that we can never eliminate stress entirely — because to do that, we’d have to be dead. What we can do is redefine our relationship to stress. How can you use these strategies to redefine your relationship to stress, so that your job search is both less stressful and more productive?
One last note: for 20+ years, we’ve helped clients advance their careers, both through stress-management coaching, as well as through award-winning resume & LinkedIn profile writing. How can we help you?