Job seekers wear many hats. They are their own agent, financial planner and cheerleader. They are also seriously stressed out. Unemployed individuals are often worried about money, afraid that they will never find employment and concerned that they won’t feel fulfilled in a new position.
No one can deny that job seeking has the potential to put a few gray hairs on someone’s head. But, looking for a job should not be nightmarish. If you are overly anxious about your job search, chances are you are worrying about other things you shouldn’t let stress you out.
Things You Should Never Stress Out About
Are you a job seeker who is stressed to the max? If so, you’ll be thrilled to discover that there are a few things that shouldn’t keep you up at night. Here are just a few:
1. Application deadlines – This might sound unbelievable, but application deadlines are nothing to stress about. On Career’s Alison Green says, “Many job posting sites require employers to list a deadline when submitting a job opening. That means employers are forced to pick a date even if it doesn’t reflect how they’re actually managing the search.” In light of this, take application deadlines with a grain of salt. Get your application in as soon as you can, but don’t let a deadline keep you up at night.
2. Job qualification requirements – Have you ever passed up applying for a job you thought you’d love but did not have all the qualifications for? If so, you may have missed out on a career you could have been hired for. If you have the majority of the qualifications for a job (say, 75 percent), feel free to apply for that position. It’s unlikely that an employer will find a candidate who meets every single qualification, so don’t count yourself out if you don’t perfectly meet a job’s criteria.
3. Follow up procedures – Once a job seeker has an interview, it’s common for he or she to go a little crazy over the follow up process. Lily Zhang, writer for The Muse, implores job seekers to “resist the urge to follow up every three hours until you get a response. If your interviewer said he or she would get back to you in a week, then send off your thank you note after the interview and do not follow up again until a week has passed.”
If you are going to stress out during the process of your job search, fine. But, worry about things that matter. Application deadlines, job qualification requirements and follow up protocol are not as big of a deal as you may think, so put your mind at ease.
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