The task of applying for a job can go deeper than it seems, offering insights into your life journey so far and a route for the way ahead
Applying for a job is a curious business. It can be prompted by a host of different reasons – a desire to belong somewhere new, a need for adventure, a more balanced lifestyle, or greater security. It could be a search for a new challenge or even sheer necessity that has you scanning the job ads.
Whatever your reason, it can be nerve-wracking as well as stimulating, filling in long application forms that ask for your full work history, aspirations, and occasionally, your deeper life ambitions. It’s natural to be left feeling frazzled, regardless of whether your application secures you an interview.
If you are called in and land the job, the offer itself might kickstart a giddy bout of “arrival fallacy” – a term coined by Harvard psychologist Tal Ben-Shahar to describe the illusion that once you reach your goals you attain happiness. With the job offer in place, you might feel elevated to dizzying heights, with a sense of limitless possibilities unfolding. On the other hand, if you don’t get the position you might have to contend with negative emotions, such as being deflated or feeling fearful about what it means for the future.
At these moments, and especially if you receive a string of rejections, it might seem as if you’ll never bounce back. Rejection rarely gets easier, no matter how many times it happens. But it’s also common, so if you’re dealing with this, it’s worth remembering that you’re not alone.
MINDSET TOOLS
Regardless of the outcome of your job search, the mindset you adopt can make a world of difference to how you cope with the situation.
The following affirmations can be helpful in adapting your thinking and reframing your perspective, but you can also develop your own using personal experiences:
- I didn’t get the job, but it means I’m not stuck on one route and there are many other exciting possibilities now open to me.
- This happened for a reason. I’m exactly where I need to be for the events of my life to unfold as they are meant to.
- I am capable and will learn from this. This is not the end point, it is an exciting part of my journey.
- With a fresh start ahead, how might I redirect my energies?
- I put myself out there, I was brave, and that alone is something to be commended.
- This gives me the chance to try another career path, one I’ve always wanted to pursue.
- I trust the process. I am patient, open, and flexible. I am as capable as anyone to grow, adapt, and evolve.
- This can help to make me stronger, and more confident in my own inner compass to guide me through uncertainty.
The truth is, success with a job application is often down to factors beyond your control, akin to the interplay between various cogs turning in time and place. This doesn’t have to compromise your personal journey, which is one only you can fulfil. If you feel you’ve learnt important lessons from an interview or even from being ignored or ghosted, you can fit this into your narrative and discard what no longer serves you.
And remember that landing an offer isn’t always plain sailing. In 2020, for example, when the pandemic forced many to work from home, traditional company hierarchies and working practices had to adapt. This resulted in more job insecurity and affected individual workloads and responsibilities. A positive side-effect, however, has been a greater sense that your destiny can be in your own hands and with it, the chance to grow from within.
Doing things that awaken your inner creativity, such as absorbing the natural world, be that in real life on a nature ramble or via a screen with online clips of the aurora – can offer a broader perspective, just as listening to a podcast or pottering around the house can provide a break from stresses and leave you feeling refreshed and renewed.
Job hunting can feel demoralising, but always try to bear in mind that there’ll be a host of things going on behind the scenes that affect a potential employer’s decision-making process. Try to learn what you can from the experience, including any not-so-good aspects, and focus on taking small steps to get you to a space that will bring personal fulfilment. They might take you to some unexpected places.
FIND YOUR VOICE
- Using what you’ve learnt so far and acknowledging all your achievements, no matter how insignificant they might seem, write down five personal affirmations that will help you focus on the positive.
- Now, list five experiences you would like to nurture as you move forward.
