This is an anonymous post from an Elpha member.

What do you do when you feel your energy has drained from the job search?

Danille19·Nov 16, 2022

Posted in:Advice

Hi,

anyone have felt that you have tried so many times trying to prepare, present and still you get so many rejections? Any motivation thoughts? how do you find energy to keep going?

thank you in advance 🙏🏼

magdalenajensen·Nov 17, 2022

Hi @danielle91 - uff, I hear yaaaa! This can be so challenging... First of all, it's super key to build resilience to rejection (and stress and all the neggo sh*t that comes up in these sorts of situations). I am teaching a FREE masterclass on Monday that might be super beneficial for you and certainly will be grounding and re-invigorating for your body (specifically your nervous system, aka the key to how you BE in the world 😇).The masterclass is called Fight Festive Freak Out - it's on Monday at 7pm GMT / 1 pm CST aka before the holidays... a time when stress levels get even higher! If you cannot make it live, I suggest signing up anyway to grab the replay. More info/sign up here: https://view.flodesk.com/pages/63695ee54e5a004564cf8380 Would love to see you there ❤️

magdalenajensen·Nov 17, 2022

OOOOoooops! @danielle91 apparently a bit of my dyslexia kicked in and I mistakenly tagged you - apologies! But also come to the masterclass if this resonates 🤣😇🙏❤️

Danille19·Nov 19, 2022

Thank you I will check it out :)

teresaman·Nov 17, 2022

Hi! If you're free tomorrow, I encourage you joining our Job Seekers chat where we also will be talking about the highs and lows of job searching! https://elpha.com/posts/wl2asj6i/november-elpha-job-seekers-chat

serenagupta·Nov 17, 2022

This is the best advice I've heard. You only need to find one company. I was so caught up in the fact that I wasn't able to get interviews at lot of companies and sometimes wouldn't have any interviews but the truth is that you just need to find 1 company and even if you get rejected by 100 companies, there is still 100s of 1,000s of companies out there and you just need to find 1.+ Therapy (that could be talking to a therapist, writing, walking in nature or whatever therapy is to you)

Danille19·Nov 19, 2022

Thank you 😊 I’m trying all of that for sure 😅🥲

Delana186·Nov 21, 2022

This may sound counterintuitive but taking some time off might help. I know it did when I had spent months in the job search process. Depending on your financial situation, this could be 3 days off, a week, a month or until next year. This will help you regroup and get the energy to get back. During the break, do stuff that you enjoy and just take care of yourself. Then come back when you have a bit more energy. I know it feels like you need to be “on and searching” every single minute and prepping for interviews but taking some time off will help a lot. Wishing you all the best.

caleighdrane·Nov 21, 2022

Hi @danille19, I feel you - I've been at the job search since June, so that's what, almost 6 months? I went through every phase you can imagine, and happy to report I'll finally be accepting an offer this week. So I'm here to tell you a few nuggets of wisdom that helped me with this grueling endeavor.1) It sucks. Job searching is just inherently demoralizing - it does not matter who you are, what level of experience you're at, how in demand (or not) you are - nobody is having a good time and feeling like "I'll take anything, just anything" happens at every level. You're not alone in experiencing the pain, so take comfort in knowing your experience is normal and valid. 2) Reach out. I hope that posting here made you feel a little better! Reaching out to talk about this with people, be it getting resume advice, asking for connections, or just to vent, helps things move forward and feel like you're not a speck of dust getting lost in the vast universe of the job market. Plus, close connections always go the farthest in job prospects. 3) If you are burnt out, for the love of goodness, take a break. It took me like 3 weeks to muster the motivation to start looking after I was laid off, and then about a month ago I just lost it for a couple weeks again. Don't beat yourself up, this can be a marathon. The average job search for Americans is about 6 months long, so make sure you're taking care of yourself for the potential long haul. 4) Every job search strategy might work - don't get stuck on one, and don't feel like you're doing the "wrong" one. The offers that FINALLY came through after literal months of nothing came from total opposite approaches - one was a connection I had made for me 6 months ago by a trusted colleague, who I kept in touch with periodically, and the other was a completely random LinkedIn application I cold-applied for. You never know where it might come from, so keep your search varied and put in the time each week that you can on multiple platforms.Good luck and have faith that you'll land the right job. It's out there, I promise!

miagomez·Nov 24, 2022

I’m so sorry you’re going through this. It took me so long to find a new job and finding the energy and resilience to keep going was one of the hardest parts. A friend advised me to try some manifestation exercises and at first I was doubtful that they would do anything but in retrospect they were actually key to getting me through unemployment and staying motivated. Several days a week (and on a daily basis on weeks I felt especially low) I’d write out detailed descriptions of my “new life” with my new job. I’d describe going through the steps of having successful interviews, receiving and accepting the offer, I’d describe what I would do and feel when I received the offer, I wrote out what my life would be like once I started the new job. These exercises really boosted my energy and visualizing the outcome so often made me feel more positive and accepting that it would happen. When I finally did get a new job it was also really fun to go back and read through them. 😀 I got so many rejections and it was really hard so I know what you’re going through. Stay strong! What is for you will come to you! Best of luck, I know you’ll find something great!

Sherie25·Nov 25, 2022

Take a let go let flow attitude. These days there are so many people in the market. The way to be one up is to research the company well. Have planned questions that show you are already thinking like someone in the job. Ask the interviewer about themselves and why they like working there and a bit about their story. And for goodness sake follow up. A thank you note goes a long way. Ask for their timeline and the process in your first call. If you get rejected don't take it personally and always be gracious about the loss. Wishing you a good next interview!