Healthy habits for job seekers
We recently spoke to Morwenna, one of our TALKWORKS Employment Advisors, who shared her top suggestions for how to look after your mental health and wellbeing, while looking for work.
Why is it important to look after our mental health why looking for work?
We have all at some point in our lives been on the job hunt and experienced the frustration, exhaustion and rejection that comes with this. During this difficult job market, these emotions can seem more extreme and make job searching even more difficult and perhaps lead to stress, burnout and hopelessness as we may all think “will I ever get the job I want?”. Therefore, it is important that we look after our mental health whilst on the job hunt. I have put together 5 healthy habits that you can easily adopt during your job search.
Do not job search every day
Job searching every day can feel demotivating as you may only see the same jobs popping up again and again and could lead to stress and exhaustion. Most companies advertise jobs at the start of the week and will have at least a 2-week application window. So, I recommend that you job search 1-2 times a week, perhaps once near the start of the week and once near the end of the week e.g. on a Monday afternoon and/or a Saturday morning.
Save previous applications
It can feel overwhelming when starting a new application to stare at a blank word document and think that you must write a cover letter/supporting statement from scratch. The likelihood is that you will be applying to similar jobs, so your skills, experience and motivation for each job will be similar - if not the same. Therefore, I recommend that you save previous applications and spend around 5-10 minutes tweaking and tailoring it to each new job advert.
Avoid Doomscrolling
Many job sites have apps that you can access on your phone, and it can seem really tempting to check your phone for jobs whilst watching TV. This, like with social media, can easily lead to doomscrolling and does not lend well to making fully focussed and quality applications. Therefore, I recommend that you job search set a specific time to job search and do it on a desktop, laptop or tablet if possible. If you only have a phone, try job searching at a desk or table as this will help you to be fully focussed while making applications.
Set boundaries
Sometimes when you are ‘in the zone’ when job searching or making applications, it can be difficult to know when to stop. This could lead you to overworking and exhaustion. I recommend that you set the length of time that you will job search for. For example, every Monday evening I will job search between 7pm - 9pm with a 15-minute break in the middle. And make sure that during this break that you are away from screens by walking around, making a cup of tea, going to the toilet etc.
Quality over quantity
It can be really tempting to apply for every job that you see that you could do. This can easily stressful and often leads to poorer applications because you are time pressured and make quick applications rather than spending time on one application. Therefore, this can mean fewer successful applications. So, I recommend that you order applications you see during a job searching session from “most desirable job” to “least desirable job” and spend a separate session focussed on writing an application for the most desirable job on the list and work your way down the list. You will have to be okay with letting some jobs go that are lower down on the list, if you do not have time to apply for them
I hope these 5 healthy habits help you to have any easier time whilst job searching. If after applying these habits to your routine, you are still struggling with your mental health. Please reach out to TALKWORKS for further support.
How can TALKWORKS help me while I am job hunting?
TALKWORKS is a free and confidential NHS Talking Therapies service, offering both therapy and employment support to adults (age 18+) living in Devon (excluding Plymouth which is covered by Plymouth Options).
Our employment support team can provide assistance with job applications including searching for work, writing a CV, the interview process and accessing further education. As well as one-to-one support, the team also run two employment workshops including helping you to prepare for an interview and tips around CV writing and job applications.
You must be receiving therapy from TALKWORKS for a common mental health problem (such as stress, worry, low mood or sleep difficulties) in order to access TALKWORKS.
You don’t need to see a GP in order to access the service, you can refer yourself to the service. Simply complete the online self-referral form on the TALKWORKS website or call the team on 0300 555 3344 (phone lines are open Monday to Friday from 9am - 4:45pm).