How to preserve your energy during your job search
Knowing how to preserve your energy during your job search is one of the best hacks I can give you in the career game. Your energy is your life. Without energy you can’t get up, get dressed and go kick your day’s ass. When you are job searching and going through a career transition, it takes energy to get out there and find something incredible for you.
It’s why energy and everything about it is so important. Imagine a life where you have the energy to give everything you do 100%.
Whilst most people know running on no energy gets you nowhere, running even on 50% is also highly unlikely to get you the results you need. Many professionals that I have worked with agree job hunting is almost like a full time job in itself. So where is this energy supposed to come from?
Understand where your energy is currently being spent.
Finding the right energy means re-evaluating the way you spend your energy and re-assigning it to somewhere more useful.
- How do you spend your day?
- What tasks are physically taking up your time and head space?
- Is there a disconnect between the things that take up your time and the things you want to be doing?
- Can you make temporary compromises to make space for this priority in your life?
Perhaps making your job search the first thing you do, instead of the last thing you do will help you prioritize this in your life....
This is your permission to pause, re-align and find the time to do what really matters.
Figure out what’s wrong.
I know how overwhelming the job search can feel. You just want the results, but managing your search is confusing and overwhelming. Sometimes you can feel lost and end up in a career rut cycle. You haven’t really pinpointed what is wrong, so you just accept the first job that gets you out of there and increases your salary. So you start a new job, the honeymoon period ends after 6 months, then the cycle restarts…
Avoid this by slowing down and taking the time to re-evaluate what is really wrong and exploring what you actually want. You then become better equipped to mitigate coming up against the same problem next time.
Getting crystal clear on your vision, your values, your non-negotiables and how you want your career to fit into your life is the first step I take my clients through on the Career Change Programme. This is what we mean by the tortoise and the hare.
Slow down, get crystal clear and go farther.
It's highly possible that if you aren't making traction in your job search it's because what you think you are looking for doesn't really align with your true ambitions.
Have a plan.
Who is guilty of this? You’ve given your CV a quick update and proofread, sent off a few applications and then you just wing the interview, hoping for the best.
Let me tell you this for free: success goes where energy flows.
Planning ahead, being strategic with your search and preparing are the easiest ways to make your job search as painless as possible. Put some energy into getting the basics right and the results WILL be more fruitful.
If you're thinking, okay fine but I have no idea how to write a good CV or actually prepare for an interview other than reading the JD and having a browse on the 'about' section of the company website, then get help! You don't have to do this alone.
Values
There is nothing like feeling trapped in a job you hate when you can’t leave. Have you ever questioned why you feel trapped? Your values will underpin many of the life decisions you make, without even knowing it.
If you value financial security and stability, you are more likely to stay in a job you hate because your need for security overrides your priority of happiness. Sound familiar?
Understanding what your values are can help you make sense of your life decisions, and change them accordingly.
This knowledge gives you more power to make decisions that truly align with what you want.
This is something we cover in my coaching package.
Prepare
As they say, fail to prepare then prepare to fail. If you are not preparing for your interviews or managing your offers then you are starting on the back foot. This can be incredibly draining on your energy when, if used more wisely, would allow you to operate from a position of strength and be guided by your intuition in the moment.
So if you have an interview coming up, do yourself a favour and prepare for the inevitable questions:
- Tell me about yourself.
- Tell me why you are a good fit for this company/job.
- Tell me why you are interested in this opportunity.
If you can nail these interviews, it frees up more inspired energy to answer the questions you weren’t expecting!
Don't forget to download your free Interview Checklist to make sure you prepare like a pro and nail your interview! Click here to acces.
Rejection
Dealing with rejection for some people, is one of the hardest parts of job searching. Yet, I cannot implore enough that your career, your salary and your job title are not a reflection of your worth. Rejection isn’t easy, I get it. Nobody likes to be told no. Yet being told this does not mean you are not worthy.
If you have been dealt rejection this, in fact, is a great thing. The sooner you can embrace rejection, and embrace new opportunities without this limitation, then it opens you up to new and better opportunities.
So let’s reframe the fear of rejection and turn it into something we can embrace, because when you get a rejection you can learn so much. Asking for feedback, is the name of the game in your job search. Without feedback you can’t learn or improve. If you can’t learn or improve then you can’t progress your career and secure the next opportunity you know you are ready for.
Asked and didn't get any feedback? Learning how to self evaluate is a powerful tool. You know in yourself if you were performing with full confidence. Did you waffle or feel like you cut your answers short? If you could do it again, what would you differently? The answers are all already within you.
Do you really want it to be easy?
Imagine a game that you win, every, single, time. With no challenge whatsoever. Isn’t it sweeter when you earn it? Isn’t it sweeter when you fight for it?
How about this for another perspective. Imagine if Serena Williams only ever played amateurs in the Wimbledon final and she won every time. Would you enjoy the game as much? Do you think she would enjoy the win as much? The win is sweeter because her component creates a challenge for her.
Now, I understand your career is not quite a tennis match, but for every win in life, the same principles apply. Every win is sweeter when you have worked for it, especially a job that you really want. If you secured the job without any challenge, you would probably wonder if the job was going to be interesting, challenging or senior enough for you.
There is a huge difference between getting things easy, and getting the things you want because you were confident enough to show up and fight for it.
Self care
Preserving your energy, knowing where to put it and how to use it are the best forms of self-care. Outside of your job search strategy, the most critical things I can offer you here are:
- Sleep
- Rest
- Food
- Fun
- Movement
- Spending time with the people you love
- Anything else that gives you contentment and gives you energy
- Taking time to step away from your job search
You cannot pour from an empty cup. If you have no life in you, then you cannot expect to show up for your career full of energy either. Being a whole person outside of your career makes you more receptive to enjoying the opportunities that make their way to you. So, make time for these things as they will benefit your career as well.
So what?
So what are the risks of not preserving your energy during your job search?
- you can end up becoming despondent to the opportunities that come your way
- lose hope that there is something better for you
- end up in a toxic cycle of staying in the job you hate for so long that your love of the job completely diminishes
- you accept the wrong job and end back in the same loop within 12-18months
This is why preserving your energy and embracing your job search with inspired action is so critical. It opens you up to the right opportunities that are out there and allows you to receive fully.
All of these concepts are included extensively in my career coaching programme. For more information click here or drop me a message on Instagram or linkedin!
