RISE Blog | Managing the Stress of a Job Search

By: Dawson Westurn, Peer Educator
March 18h, 2021

Whether you are searching for a part-time job, a full-time job after graduation, or the next opportunity to continue your college education, the search for a job has never been more different. The task of finding a career has definitely changed with the COVID-19 pandemic, which means more stress for those applying. Today, we're talking about important job search sites and some tips to help with job searching and ultimately help alleviate some stress!

Where to Start in a Job Search

The old-school method of walking into a company's headquarters with your resume is, for the first time, not advisable. Alongside the adoption of COVID-19 protocols, more employers are switching to online methods to find and search for new hires. To stay ahead of the game, a good starting place is to create an account on well-known career sites such as LinkedIn or Indeed. You can also make an account on Texas Tech's own job search website Hire Red Raiders.

When making so many different accounts on job searching websites, it can be easy to feel overwhelmed with the number of dates, contacts, and account information you might need to remember. Personally, I put all of my job sites in one folder under a bookmark tab on google chrome to stay organized. This can make it super easy to remember to check for daily updates without taking up too much space on your bookmarks bar.

Update Your Resume

Make sure every account has relevant and up-to-date information, including your resume! Some job search sites offer resume reviews to send in your resumes and receive feedback. Newly revised resumes are much better equipped to catch employers' attention. Texas Tech's Career Center also has resume reviews for all students to use!

Be Patient & Stay Aware

Diligence, vigilance, and patience are vital to the current state of job searching because some fields of work, unlike healthcare or technology, may be experiencing a shortage of job openings. Don't be discouraged by the lack of job postings. Instead, I want to motivate you to apply for double the number of opportunities. By sending out double the amount of applications, you should (theoretically) expect to see double the amount of emails of submitted applications, application reviews, job interviews, and hopefully job acceptances! Check the email account that you set as the primary contact information daily once you start to apply. Companies will get their first impression of you based on how fast you respond to their emails. 

Practice on the Interview Platforms

While Zoom has become really popular, and there is a good chance you know how to use it, potential interviews can take place over other platforms such as Microsoft Teams or even over a phone call. Make sure to familiarize yourself with the software you will be asked to use so that you can be as prepared as possible. 

Prep for Any Interview Questions

Once a phone or webcam interview is set up, the next major step is to prepare for the questions that could be asked by the interviewers. Start by reading all of the job duties on the job posting and noting anything you have relevant experience with. Also, make a note of duties that you may not understand completely. That may be a good area to ask about when the interviewer asks if you have any questions at the end of your interview!

Prepare for the interview by reviewing popular job interview questions and questions about the specific job duties for the position you've applied for. Your answers do not have to be perfect, but knowing how your experience relates to the essential job functions will benefit you greatly. Being prepared with answers to possible questions is super helpful compared to taking up too much time thinking of an answer on the spot. The Texas Tech Career Center's website also has great resources to help you prepare for the interview portion and answer the questions to the best of your ability!

Along with answers to the interviewer's questions, you should have a few questions to ask the employer. Having prepared questions to ask shows that you have done some research about the company and the job. You should always ask at least one question about the company's culture or the job duties. To wrap up an interview, you can ask “when will I get updated about the decision for this job position?”.

Wrapping Up

Stress is inevitable in job searching, and while I hope these tips help alleviate some of the stress, you shouldn't pretend the stress does not exist. Schedule the time you will be job searching around your current school and work schedule. Ensure you are getting a good amount of applications submitted each “shift” of job searching and reward your productivity with lots of self-care. If you've applied to many job offers, you might end up getting many emails saying they found another candidate for the position. Rejection can be hard when you only apply once, so make sure to apply for as many opportunities as you can! And remember that rejection happens statistically much more than being accepted for a position, even though that part is always difficult to talk about. When it comes to a job search, it's all about setting yourself up for the best success by trying your best and staying true to yourself. You've got this.

 

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