The emotions any job search dredges up are largely negative ones. Oh sure, there are those breakthrough moments of career success in which the world lights up like a roman candle on a hot summer night. But let’s face it, more often than not, when looking for a job you’re more likely to be facing the other kind of feelings – those tightly-pulled knots in your psyche that can slow down your job search efforts or stop them altogether.
But emotions are really just states in our mind. Their actual meaning is malleable – you can often redirect them into something else that can actually benefit your job search. Yes, believe it or not there is a bright side to those nasty dark clouds swirling over your head. Here’s where to find them in the common job search emotions.
Dread
When we dread something, it’s usually because we don’t know enough about it. Channel this feeling into a relentless desire to learn, research, educate yourself, and remove the variables in your job search. The more clearly you can see what’s going to happen, the less likely you are to dread it. Preparation is the key to great career moves.
Frustration
When someone is frustrated, it’s generally because their expectations aren’t being met. This is your cue to look at what you’re trying to accomplish in your job search, the timeframe you expect to do it in, and the resources you’re applying to doing so.
Impatience
This is a sign of energy. If you didn’t care about the outcome, you wouldn’t mind that your job search is taking longer than you’d like. Refocus this emotion into a celebration of your essential passion for what you’re trying to accomplish in your career.
Rejection
Nobody can possibly appeal to everybody all the time. If they could, their abilities would have to be so general that their career would probably stall at a relatively low level. In your job search, use rejection as an affirmation that you’re unique, which means that not everybody can use your exclusive blend of values, skills, and experience.
Anger
The world of a job search is fraught with near misses, unfair decisions, and a general out-of-control feeling that can easily strain one’s ability to be pleasant. Refocus this emotion as energy – an intense desire to make your life different and not tolerate anything less than the career success you deserve.
Anxiety
Finally, this is probably one of the most common feelings in a job search, because the very process of looking for a job means almost constant uncertainty. But with uncertainty comes opportunity, the very real possibility that anything can happen. Look at your anxiety from the perspective of embarking on a journey, a transition in which you will ultimately arrive at a far better place in your career.