4 Ways to Manage Job Search Stress as a New Grad

Searching for your first full-time role after graduation can be an intimidating and lengthy process. Add in a competitive job market, and the stress only gets worse. While it can be an overwhelming time in your career, hope is not lost. Here are four ways to protect your mental health and survive job search burnout,

1. Create Time Blocks

It’s easy to feel like the job search is always happening. You want to spend every spare second looking for roles, editing your resume, or sending in applications. While this is understandable, it’s unsustainable. Focusing on getting a job 24/7 will only add to your stress and burn you out quicker.

Instead, create a schedule for when you will be working on the job search and when you need to step away. Maybe you spend two hours every morning searching for roles. Once that two hours is up, don’t do anything related to the job search. Spend the rest of your time with friends, doing your hobbies, staying active, or just simply resting. Then in the afternoon, spend another two hours preparing your resume and cover letter for the roles you found earlier in the morning. Once you send in your resume and submit the applications, close your laptop for the rest of the day. With this schedule, you successfully make progress without it being the only thing you did that day. The job search should be treated like a project with defined tasks, not a neverending marathon.

2. Focus on What you Can Control

There are a lot of things you can control: how your resume looks, the number of applications you send out, who you choose to network with, and completing practice interviews. These are all the things you should be putting your brain power towards. 

On the other hand, there are a lot of things out of your control: if you get an interview, if you are ghosted by a company, and if you receive a rejection email. These are all things that you should try not to focus on, which is easier said than done. Spending your time thinking about something that you can’t control will only lead to more stress. Think of this as a rocking chair: thinking about the things outside of your control will give you something to do, but it won’t actually get you anywhere.

3. Lean on Your Support System

When we are stressed and going through something difficult, it’s easy to want to isolate yourself and be alone with your struggles. While this may be your instinct, having a community of people who support you will be key to getting through this time period.

One way to lean on your community is by finding two or three friends or network connections who are experiencing the same thing as you. Treat this time like a group project by sharing resources, preparing for interviews together, and simply leaning on each other when those rejection emails inevitably come through. Knowing you aren’t alone will help your mental health.

Speaking with friends or family that aren’t in the same position can still be beneficial, but be aware that they might not fully understand what you’re going through if they haven’t been in the job market for many years. You may not be able to ask these people specific questions or for specific advice, but you can still lean on them for moral support. Knowing you are loved and appreciated by your friends and family can boost your confidence and morale during this process. They can also help get your mind off things while you’re outside of your scheduled job search time blocks.

4. Take Care of Yourself

Stress takes a toll on your body, both physically and mentally. This is why prioritizing self-care is crucial. Self-care looks differently for everyone, but the main goal is to do things that make you happy and can reduce your stress levels. This can include adding movement into your day, such as walking or doing yoga. Eating healthy can also help, so try to avoid junk food and instead fuel your body with nutrients that it will thank you for. If the stress gets to be too overwhelming, you can also seek out counseling or therapy. Finding someone who can help you manage your emotions will help you get through this time with your mental health intact.