Jobseekers More Likely To Experience Anxiety

The findings, released by Adzuna to mark this year’s Stress Awareness Week, reveal those who are currently out of work and seeking employment are 40% more likely to experience feelings of anxiety than the national average. Similarly, nearly two thirds worry about the direction of their life while being 86% more likely to describe themselves as “depressed” in comparison to the rest of the nation.

To support those who are looking for a new job, experts at Adzuna have shared advice to help minimise feelings of stress while on the lookout for a new job:

Break it down

As of this week, there are almost one million live job adverts in the UK, which can seem like a daunting prospect at first. Before you start your job search it is important to drill down the exact requirements for a new role to narrow down opportunities and sort vacancies into manageable ‘chunks’.

Consider your skills and experience and any keywords associated with these, as well as things like location, salary and company. Use search filters to distil opportunities into lists that feel more manageable so you’re not overwhelmed with 500,000+ potential jobs.

Make the most of the tools available

There are countless tools that have been created to make finding a job as easy as possible. Take a look through recruitment sites, Jobcentre advice pages and job boards to find the tools that work for you, then use them at every opportunity to alleviate some of the pressure. 

Take a break 

The work that comes with the job hunt can be intense and, if not carefully managed, can quickly lead to burnout. As you would with any normal workload, set yourself clear parameters for searching and applying for jobs and allow yourself to have a break outside of these times.

Know your worth

If a job hunt continues over a long period of time, it can soon become disheartening. Ensure you always come back to your relevant skills and experience and remember how they make you an asset for an employer. Don’t be tempted to settle for less, as this will only lead to issues further down the line.

If you’re not sure where to begin, do some research to find average salaries in your area for the roles you're looking for. This will give you a good guide to help steer your search and can help you when negotiating salaries when you get to that stage.

Set realistic targets

There are so many job opportunities out there once you begin searching, but it’s important to not try to go after all of them at once. Doing this will not only increase your stress levels and make your job hunt more exhausting, but will most likely mean the quality of your applications will deteriorate.

Set yourself achievable targets each day and do everything you can to stick to them. These targets could be as simple as spending half an hour reviewing job sites, or spending a bigger chunk of time updating your CV or submitting an application. Whatever your targets are, review your progress every day and ask yourself whether they are realistic, or you could be setting yourself up for stress before you’ve even begun.

Ask for help

Often one of the hardest things to do when feeling stressed, asking for some help can be one of the most powerful tools at a job seeker’s disposal. Help and advice can be found on various recruitment sites and forums, in local libraries and various careers and employability services. Friends and family can help monitor opportunities, proofread CVs and cover letters, or help to roleplay interviews.

Whatever you do, don’t suffer in silence as there will always be a resource available that can help.