Staying Sane During A Job Search

Job Searching can be rough, and it’s important to keep your spirits up and keep things in perspective. Today, guest blogger Carter Roane takes his turn as Monday Morning Quarterback, sharing his perspectives on staying sane during the job search.

My name is Carter Roane and I am currently in the midst of a job search to continue in the field of Student Affairs and Residence Life. It has had its ups and downs, but I can honestly say that it has been an incredible and rewarding experience. At times you may feel like the end is never going to be in sight or that everyone else in the free world has a job or getting interviews, except for you. I wanted to share some ways that I have learned to keep sane during this job search, and to keep your head up and have high hopes. I’m starting to refer to corny song lyrics. It’s time to get to my advice right away!

Good Support System- I think it is really important to have people who can be there for you to offer support, words of encouragement, and just to be there when you really need them. This can be anyone–a family member, a friend, a mentor, or a significant other. It could be the person you call right after an interview to let off steam, or the person you might practice an interview with. My wife has been amazing as my support, and I feel she is going to be as happy as I am when the search reaches an end.

Find Something Else to Do..Now!– Find a hobby…any hobby. Something that can occupy your time so you aren’t thinking about the job search all the time. I feel that if you are working on the job search all day, every day, you are going to burn yourself out. And what good would you be to any employer at that point? I think that a hobby or a pastime is a good way to relieve stress and keep your mind off of the search. Weekends seem to be the worst because you know that no decisions and no interviews are going to happen during this time. Music and sports are what I use to de-stress and relax, and many times become energized. Football makes my Sundays go by that much faster…although the Super Bowl broke my heart (being a New England fan!) Music also really helps me and I think my wife bought me a drum set intentionally so I can take out any frustrations on it..LOL! I think that is why she bought me a huge set of headphones too.

Have A Good Attitude- At my current job, I have a co-worker who has a very wise grandmother. She gives him great advice. I’ve also heard she makes a fantastic gumbo dish, but that’s getting off the subject. She gives him some great advice which he will sometimes share with me. One thing that he said that has really stuck in my head was about taking a good attitude from one job to the next, and that no matter how much you may not like your current job, you should still work as hard as you can and have a positive attitude, because you are going to carry that into your next job. That is so true! You don’t want to have a bitter attitude going into that next job, especially if it is in student affairs. You probably won’t be lasting too long. I think that applies to the job search too. No matter how long or frustrating the search might be, you want to go into that interview with the best attitude possible. I think that shows you can face adversity and come through it smiling. That is a very positive trait, I think. If you come into an interview, stressed out, burned out and bitter, that is going to show and it is pretty much a guarantee that you will not be getting the job. A job search is like a full-time job as it is. If you treat it with a good attitude, I think good things will follow.

Those are the three top things that have kept me sane during my search, and it really has kept me going. You might have different ways of staying sane and feel free to share those! My twitter handle is @CarterGRoane and I would love to hear what other people do! Thank you Sean, for letting me post this and I hope that everyone has a successful placement season and that everyone can walk away with the job they are looking for. Good luck, everyone!

 Carter Roane is a Residence Life Professional from New Hampshire getting back in the field   and enjoying the journey while also keeping his sanity, assuming he ever had it to begin with!