The Best Job Hunting Mindset You Want To Have Now
Job hunting is tough
Job hunting is tough. In fact, pretty damn tough. The COVID-19 pandemic isn’t helping either. Therefore, to successfully get through this process, you need a solid, resilient, job hunting mindset.
But before that, let’s see why job hunting sucks – these are the 3 key ones:
It’s Long. Job hunting is generally a long-drawn-out process (see the 4 Stages Of Job Hunting). You do not say you want a job today and get one tomorrow. End to end, from starting the hunt to the offer, it takes at least a few weeks up to a few months due to the sheer number of uncertainties (see next point) inherent in the process. For some of us, it may even take up to a year!
It’s Uncertain. Job hunting is rife with uncertainty: the number of relevant job opportunities available, the wait for a response after an application, the interview and wait after the interview, whether the offer will eventually come, and so on. Many uncertainties often make job hunting an anxiety and frustration filled exercise. Not fun.
It’s Market Driven. Market conditions heavily influence the entire job hunting process and final results. For instance, in an employee’s market where demand for manpower is high and supply is low, job hunting becomes much easier and less painful for job seekers. The converse is true as well. So, prevailing market conditions, which vary across industry, will largely determine how difficult the job hunt will be.
People today like instant gratification and things to be in control or go the way they like it to – exactly what job hunting does NOT entail. Tough, indeed.
What then is the best mindset to approach job hunting?
The best job hunting mindset
The best job hunting mindset you want to have is actually surprisingly simple:
Job hunting is fundamentally a challenging exercise.
– Ray Yeo
This means job hunting, like any challenge, will be difficult – and you should expect it to be so.
Here’s why it works.
First, when you expect an important activity to be challenging, you tend to prepare more for what lies ahead. For example, if you are preparing for a difficult final exam that you want to ace, you will pre-emptively put in more effort because you know it will be tough. The same principle applies here.
Second, when you expect something to be challenging, it cushions the figurative fall when it happens. In other words, you won’t be as disappointed because you have already anticipated the difficulty. Recall the equation: Disappointment = Expectation – Reality. In other words, when expectations are higher than what reality turns out to be, you become disappointed. Conversely, when expectations are lower than what’s realized, you are happy because you beat expectations. So, by expecting a difficult job hunt, you would feel less disappointed when you run into a rough patch during the hunt.
Third, by framing job hunting as a a challenging task, you can actually benefit from it. According to Do something difficult – it could even make you happy on Psychology Today, people feel great after achieving a stretch goal. Furthermore and interestingly, the lesser you take risks and do difficult tasks, the smaller your comfort zone becomes; this means just by attempting a challenging task, regardless of outcome, you would have avoided shrinking your comfort zone (and also learn something in the process).
What does not kill you makes you stronger
The common army wisdom of “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger” is apt here. Everyone will get a job at some point – it’s just a matter of how long. When you finally emerge victorious in the hunt, you would have gotten stronger in more ways than one.
So go ahead, hunt for that job, and remember to expect a challenging time. After all, when you’re going through the toughest times, it can only get better, agree?
Risk Manager by Profession, Mentor and Coach by Passion.
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