The Job Search Rollercoaster: How to Manage the Ups and Downs

You sure realize that a job hunt is not a straight line, but a rollercoaster, in case you have recently gone through it. You are motivated one day and the next day all excited about a job which seems to fit your profile. The second, you get ghosted after some interviews or are sent an email saying you were not hired, which hurts a bit too much.

The lows and highs of seeking a job are not imaginary. But although no one likes the in-between state, there are opportunities to handle it and even to develop with it.

But here is what the job search rollercoaster is really like and how to remain on it without losing steam (or your mind).

1. Understand That It’s Not Just You

To begin with, we are supposed to make it clear that when you feel frustrated, anxious, or even a bit lost in the process of job-seeking, it does not imply that you are doing anything wrong. It implies that you are a human being. The problem is that it is literally a process and the way it works is quite uncertain, it may take a longer period of time than we prefer.

What most applicants fail to appreciate is that the employment market is not merit based. There is the timing and the industrial trends and the internal referrals and company restructuring, and all these are in motion. Turn downs frequently never have anything to do with what you can do or are worth.

It is important to remember this fact because it will not help you to eliminate disappointment, but you will not be inclined to regard every refusal as personal failure.

2. Set Small, Daily Wins

When you only aim at getting a job, it is easy to burn out. That is a huge, unpredictable goal. Rather than that, concentrate on areas that you can control.

It may imply:

• Read and saved five positions to apply to

• Creating a specific resume and making a good application per day

• Inviting two online LinkedIn people to network

• Practicing mock interviews or updating your portfolio

These are not big but they gain force. More than that, working on something and accomplishing it daily gives you a feeling of progression, which then is so badly needed by those who have to seek employment.

3. Don’t Chase Every Opportunity — Be Strategic

In desperation the urge is to send in applications all over the place and wait and see what comes out. Yet such a shot-gun strategy might dampen your strength and cause further rejection.

Rather, you should spend time deciding on roles and firms where it is congruent with your skill, values and career objectives. Make your application unique, instead of sticking to quantity and follow up where it is necessary. Employers get the feel that a person is interested and that counts.

Being precise can make you feel more meaningful and this decreases boredom.

4. Expect Rejection — But Redefine It

Just because you can get rejected does not make you a bad person. It does not imply that you are not a qualified person, it implies that you did not fit into that position, at that particular moment.

Instead of lamenting over the question of what I did wrong, ask yourself what you can learn out of it.

Making it to the interview phase is a success already. Are you not called back? Maybe, your resume should be fine-tuned. Treat every experience as data not as a verdict.

The bounce-back-ability depends on how resilient you become and how emotionally agile you get.

5. Build Your Support System

You can not do this alone. It can be your friends, mentors, former colleagues, or even the job-seeker groups on the internet, but surround yourself with the people who know what you are going through.

Discuss the bad days. Patronize the mini successes. Feedback or another opinion is a nice method of asking a question before sending that application. It is the emotional burden of job search that gets lighter with sharing.

And don't forget: most of the professionals that appear to be successful today had this attitude at one point in their past.

6. Use the Downtime to Grow

Lack of a full time employment does not imply you are making no progress. It is an opportunity to reskill, reconsider and refine your course.

Get an online education course, visit online workshops, post on LinkedIn about your ideas, all of this does not make you invisible, dull, and insecure. Further it not only demonstrates to future employers that you are proactive and willing to improve yourself.

7. Protect Your Mental Health

The process of job searching can erode your self-esteem, in case you accept it. Set boundaries. Do not reload your inbox at midnight. Do not believe what you read in a rejection letter.

Take breaks. Go outside. Write about your reflections. Turn off the plug in one day. The job-searching process just matters yet your health is crucial.

It is not easy to be lazy when you need to rest. You’re human.

Final Thoughts

Finding a job is not easy most of the time. It is the adventure that includes twists of fate, lulls, and bending circles. Then with a proper attitude and planning, you can go through it with strength and clarity.

Just keep in mind you just have to find one yes. That yes might be tomorrow --- or next week. But it will. Until then, just keep doing what you can do and keep putting yourself out there, and believe that the opportunities that you deserve will greet your practice.

It is a transitional period. Your development, tenacity, introspection in it? That is what persists.