How to avoid job hunting burnout

We look at ways to stay fresh and motivated during a long job search

It’s no secret that trying to land a job can sometimes be just as tough as the job itself. 

And with research showing that people working during the pandemic have been suffering severe burnout, it’s safe to say that similar issues can also plague job seekers.

COVID-19 has created an unpredictable job market, meaning your job hunt could go on for months – increasing the chance of burnout.

With this in mind, we have rounded up some tips to help job seekers stay fresh and motivated while on their job hunting journey.

Set daily limits and take a break           

While it’s important to keep committed to your job hunt, it’s also vital you ensure you don’t overwork yourself.

Rather than spending hours and hours every day looking for jobs, set a daily limit for your job search and stick to it. 

Also make sure you’re taking a break regularly during your daily search. 

You’ll be surprised how much more productive you’ll be after you’ve taken the time to eat some food! 

Reassess your strategy

Keeping persistent is key in any job search, but if you have applied for countless jobs and still aren’t getting anywhere, it may be a sign you need to rethink your approach.

Consider everything from writing a new CV, to re-jigging your cover letter approach.

You may even find that something as simple as choosing a different workspace to complete your applications helps freshen your approach and get you the results you’re after.

Get feedback from someone else

Sometimes a fresh pair of eyes can be handy to look over your applications and suggest any improvements. 

You may have read over it 100 times already, but it’s amazing how often a tiny mistake can be spotted on your CV or cover letter by someone else who reads it.

Reach out to a friend, a family member or professional mentor to see if they can help you out.

Quality over quantity

While you may feel more productive if you are applying for a lot of jobs, it can be even more devastating if you keep finding yourself rejected. 

That’s why it’s vital to ensure you are putting enough time and effort into each of your applications to give you the best chance of success.

Similarly, while recruiters often say it’s fine to apply for jobs where you don’t match all the selection criteria, you should still be realistic with the roles you go for. 

It may prove more useful to apply for roles where you know you’d be a good fit, than just going for jobs which look good but are above your experience/skill level.