Mastering the Job-Hunting Balancing Act

Job hunting is like a trip to the dentist. If you enjoy it, you’ve got a problem…or need to find a career in HR, dentistry, or whatever psychopaths do to pay the rent. For most of us, it’s a stressful slog that feels deeply, soul-crushingly never-ending. But it doesn’t have to be. It’ll never be classified as ‘fun’ but—believe it or not—you can totally make the transition a learning experience that doesn’t suck.

Whether you’re applying for something new, sneakily looking to change careers while still plugging away at your current employer, or falling victim to a corporate smackdown, I mean ‘restructuring,’ here are a few ways to stay sane (well, -ish) throughout.

This ain’t your grandma’s resume

First, when you’ve accepted that it’s time to find a new job, pause for a minute. Not too long because time is money, but long enough to repeat a few things until you’ve absorbed them allllllllllll the way.

1. Keep perspective. The employment market, despite what news outlets say on any given day, is infinitely, unpredictably wonky. This journey could be a rollercoaster of delight into your forever career or a drawn-out process with more than a few false starts.
2. You will be ghosted. Likely by an AI with attitude. This isn’t your fault, but unfortunately, it’s a fact of life. Too many companies are relying on our robot overlords to skim for buzzwords, jargon, and industry bullshit. This means the vast majority of HUGELY qualified souls get left in their cyberdust wondering what happened and with zero recourse to ask questions.
3. Limber up your fingers ‘cause you’ll be entering and re-entering your resume, cover letter, and qualifications a billion and one times…even if you just uploaded those same *&^%$#@ documents.

Just because you’re not on LinkedIn, doesn’t mean there aren’t Indeed jobs to be found

Gone are the days of circling with a pen—and then CALLING on a TELEPHONE—newspaper classified ads that posted the latest jobs. So when you start looking, branch out. Like WAY out. Surf a company’s social media for postings or play with broad searches like #hiring, #jobs, or #recruiting.

Remember too that social media is generational. Just because you don’t use a specific portal—and no, Facebook isn’t just for old people—doesn’t mean an employer won’t post there. They may even post to civic job boards like the Chamber of Commerce, city or county associations, and even the bulletin board of your neighborhood library.

Ask around, chat folks up, send the occasional polite inquiry email, DM, or text. You never know what, where, when, or how something could pay off just by being friendly. But note, don’t be THAT GUY (or gal, you know what I mean) who leans hard on friends and family to score an interview at their company. Nepotism may help you find out who to ask about open positions or how they prefer to receive applications but anything else is super tacky and could reflect poorly on your contact.

The sky’s the limit…within reason

Of course, there are no limits to your potential, aspirations, career path, blah, blah, blah; reach for the stars. But your job hunt shouldn’t be a 24/7 endeavor. Make time to have a beer with friends in the evening. Tell ‘em about your frustrating day and they might even pay.

Hang out with people who make you feel good, whether it’s your spouse, kids, grandparents, furbabies, poker buddies, D&D murder hobos, or favorite Discord server. Chat, laugh, talk about silly stuff to keep spirits up. Work is only a part of the day, keep the search that way too.

If you’re changing career paths or want to learn more, consider volunteering in that field. Heck, consider volunteering to pull weeds in the local Parks & Rec field just to spend time outdoors and do some good in the world. Giving of yourself is always win/win and you may even meet folks with connections, advice, or out-of-the-box ideas.

There are as many reasons to find a new job as there are people who do it. Whatever inspires the search, even if it’s just a preference for food on the table and a roof over your head, is 100% valid. You’re not going it alone and at Mathys+Potestio, we’re here every step of the way. Let us be your career sherpa, your job hunt Jedi, your employment….um…emotional support alpaca? There’s always something better ahead, it just takes a little time.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.