Job Search Stress: 5 Things You Shouldn’t Worry About

Like jobs themselves, every job search is different, but most become stressful for the same reasons. Here’s how to better keep your head during your career search

About to start looking for work? Or already waiting to hear back from potential employers? At any stage of your job-search, you are likely stressed, and until you actually have an offer in hand, you’ll probably continue to nurse a few worries and concerns.

That’s okay. What isn’t is allowing yourself to become overly anxious about things that will not really make or break your job candidacy. While no less important than other aspects of your search, worrying about the following is also not the best use of your time and energy.

A Resume That ‘Isn’t Good Enough’

Creating or updating a resume is almost always the first thing on the to-do list of most job-seekers. Unfortunately, when it becomes the only thing on the list, it can effectively delay a job-search even before it really begins. Although making a well-written resume is indeed an important step in any job search, it’s still just that: one step.

By being resume-obsessed, you stay stuck in that step, spending time that could be better spent actually submitting applications, creating new work contacts, or letting current ones know you are now open to new opportunities. So okay, put some thought into your resume, but then commit to making it and move on. Your applications await.

An Application That Has Seemingly Disappeared Into a Black Hole

You sign up on a jobs website, search it’s listings, then find a few matches and apply. You feel excited. But then anxious. Days turn to weeks, and you’re unsure if your application was rejected, ignored, or received it at all. Sadly, applications seemingly being lost in a digital black hole isn’t uncommon, particularly on sites that simply collect these for employers.

On Kalibrr however, you don’t have to worry about employers not receiving your application, as the site also sends them email and SMS notifications for each application they receive. That in addition to Artificial Intelligence recommending jobs which best match your qualifications, ensuring you’re not shooting your shot in the dark when you apply.

Never Getting Your Desired Salary

Understandably, compensation is front and center even at the beginning of start of your job search, and it can sometimes be a nagging source of concern. To begin dealing with this is to first figure out what the market is pays on average for your current or desired position, which you can use as a basis. Once you know this, apply for jobs that offer 10-15% more.

Any less is likely not worth leaving your current job over, and is only worth applying to if you are a fresh graduate or if the job offers benefits that are crucial to you. Until then, try not to worry too much about salary, as the time an employer has decided they want you enough to make an offer, is also when you’ll have a little more leverage to actually negotiate.

Explaining an Extensive Work or Skills Background

Careers these days have become increasingly non-linear. Between freelance work, internships, and training opportunities, there can be a lot to explain on your cover letter and resume when it comes to your varying skills and work experiences, which could also include details of why career changes happened and why you are applying for a certain job now.

Of course, these details are important, but until hiring managers are interested enough in you to schedule an interview, it’s best to focus your application on the impact you can make, with previous experiences and relevant skills only there to back up you claims. Just let them know you can get the job done, saving the details of your career trajectory for the interview.

Knowing When and How Often to Follow Up

So you got past the previously mentioned worries and managed to complete an interview or two. Everything, at least for some of your applications, is done. Now, you’re just waiting. While sitting on your hands can be stressful, resist the urge to follow up every three hours until you get a response.

If the interviewer/s say they’ll update you in a week, then send them a thank you note after the interview , and don’t follow up again until after a week. Remember, hiring takes time, especially when it involves the approval of several other people. Plus you haven’t been hired yet. So step back from that stress and, for now, focus on the rest of your search instead.

These are but a few of the things which can add stress to your job-search, and the key is not to let yourself be overwhelmed. While it will never be stress-free, it also doesn’t have to be nightmarish. And when it starts to feel like it, pause and ponder if you are making it harder than it needs to be. While not everyone will be kind to you during your search, you still control how kind you are to yourself.

Kalibrr is a technology company that aims to transform how candidates find jobs and how companies hire talent. Placing the candidate experience at the center of everything it does, the company continues to attract the best talents from all over, with more than 1.7 million professionals and counting. Kalibrr ultimately connects these talents to companies in search of their next generation of leaders.

The only end-to-end recruitment solutions provider in Southeast Asia, Kalibrr is headquartered in Makati, Philippines, with offices in San Francisco, California and Jakarta, Indonesia. Established in 2012, it has served over 18,000 clients, and is backed by some of the world’s most powerful start-up incubators and venture capitalists. These include Y Combinator, Omidyar Network, Patamar Capital, Wavemaker Partners, and Kickstart Ventures.

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