Does your job search have you feeling down? It can be hard not to feel burnt out when you’ve applied for so many jobs and haven’t landed a single one. Read more to find out some tips on how to deal with rejection and not let it affect your mental health.

Everyone is constantly trying to keep up with life, so it seems. You and everyone around you are working incredibly hard and long hours, all while trying to make room to take care of yourself and have a personal life at the same time. You’re a student, you’re working and you always want to progress in your professional life, whether that means working extremely hard at your current job or seeking a new one. It’s hard not to begin feeling burnt out, AKA being mentally and physically exhausted.

It is terrifyingly easy to fall privy to the negative thoughts that begin to form when you are seeking a new job and it seems that everyone around you is landing a job while you are not. It is easy to start thinking “am I not good enough?” This is most definitely not the case. There are a lot of others out there that are in the same situation as you and here are the stats to prove it:

While it may seem that everyone around you is finding jobs or already working, this most likely was not always their reality. They have probably been in the same situation as you at one or more points in their lives. So the question is not whether you are good enough, it is what can you do to improve and minimize job search rejection. Here are some tips you can use when applying for jobs:

• Make sure you are qualified – While it is okay to apply for a position you don’t meet 100% of the qualifications for, you must ensure you have the skills and abilities to make a significant contribution to the role before applying.
• Review your resume – Once you are confident that you are qualified, make sure your resume is as specific as possible and demonstrates what you can bring to the job.
  • Start by looking at the title of your resume. Choose something unique such as the title of the job you are applying for or how you would describe your career, such as “JohnDoe_StrategicAdvisor” and steer clear from using generic names such as “JohnDoe_Resume”.
  • Open with a skills summary of what you can bring to the table instead of an objective paragraph describing what you are looking for.
  • Make sure it is easy to scan by using short sentences and bullet points for maximum readability. If the employer cannot read your resume with ease, there is a good chance they will move on to the next one.
  • Proofread, proofread, proofread!
• Ace the interview – Job interviews can be won or lost in the first four seconds, which is how long it takes to decide a few crucial things about a person: Are you safe? Do I like you? Do I feel like I can trust you? Just be yourself and remember that it is important that the company has to be the right fit for you just as much as they want you to be the right fit for the company.

While all of this is important, it is just as important, if not more, to take care of your health during such a stressful time. It is imperative to recognize when your body is telling you that it is out of sorts, otherwise it may have the opposite effect and make your job search even harder than it already is. There are several things you can look at to ensure you are taking care of your mental health and not burning out:

• Know the signs – Are you feeling tired, irritable and frustrated? Are you having trouble sleeping? Getting sick too often? Do you feel alienated and disconnected from others? Do you feel apathetic and a lack of confidence? Are you feeling less able to perform your regular duties? If you have any of these signs, it may indicate that you are not your usual self. It is so crucial to recognize there is a problem so that you can help yourself before it gets worse.
• Environmental factors – Evaluate the environment where you are spending the most time and see if it is taking a toll on you. Perhaps you work in an office where you have little control and lots of demands, which may increase or add to your stress of job searching.
• Role of technology – Technology is known to add a lot of stress, and not setting boundaries with it can cause problems. Nowadays, it is easy to stay plugged in at all times. If you’ve applied for jobs and keep checking your emails or for new postings when you are supposed to be having personal time, this can add more stress and cause you to burn out. Keep a time allotted for job searching and treat it like a job. When you land a job, it is important to maintain this and keep work at the workplace and not bring it home. For example, keeping a rule that you will not respond to emails after 6pm.
• Seek professional help – If you recognize the signs too late or are unable to control the factors around you on your own, it is totally okay. Everyone gets burnt out or experiences some sort of mental health-related issues at some point in their lives. Seeking professional treatment does not make you weak, it makes you human. Whether you are feeling a little overwhelmed or are knee-deep in a burnout, seeking professional help sooner rather than later is always a good option.

Whether you are burnt our or not, one of the best ways to prevent a future burn out is to take the time to reflect and reconnect to your purpose. Take a step back and a deep breath and compare how you are feeling with how you want to feel, and then take the right steps to help you find a better balance in your life.

For more job search tips, visit the Graduate Career Resources on Beedie Community, and take a look at the Job Search & the Hiring Process section.

For more information about how to take care of your mental health, visit SFU Health & Counselling services, or read their article on 21 ways to reduce stress.