Tag: career

Wellness on the Job Hunt

I went to dinner with an old friend last night and she made a point about asking me how I was doing mentally through the job hunt. And I have to say, I think I’m doing surprisingly well. I’ve been referring to my mental health since I restarted this blog to help capture everything around my job search. I won’t lie – during my last job search, I didn’t do as well.

But I’ve approached everything differently this time. It’s helpful that my personal life isn’t as stressful as it was last time. And oddly, I think a silver lining of Covid is that I’m so used to being at home alone with my computer, that this job search is really just a shift in what I’m doing and on what computer. I mean seriously – one of my biggest challenges to date has been to get used to using my Macbook again rather than my old Walgreens PC!

This time, I haven’t been shy about reaching out to old friends. Last time, I was really embarrassed about being laid off and I shouldn’t have been! This time I have no shame about it. What has happened at Walgreens was nothing I could control so I am having no problem saying I was impacted in a mass layoff. That doesn’t seem like a huge shift but for me, it has been. My friends have been nothing but supportive too. So while I’d like to be working, I’m also loving having the time to meet up with people I haven’t seen in years.

The other thing I’m doing differently this time is being much more balanced in my job search/life activities. Last time, I sat at the computer for HOURS AND HOURS at a time scrolling job boards and making myself crazy second guessing what I wanted to do next. This time, I’ve narrowed down the types of roles I want to look at. I’m being thoughtful about what industries I’d like to work in and I’m alternating looking at job boards with taking training that will either sharpen existing skills – or is just about something I’m interested in. I took a seminar on AI last week that was fascinating! (I’ll be following up on that one – I’m having too much fun playing with ChatGPT now!)

And I’m scheduling time for me. I take walks. I’m doing some long delayed projects around the house. I’m crocheting like crazy and even selling some of my work. I’m planning some travel. I’m perfecting my recipe for Oatmeal Raisin cookies. So the balance between the stress of looking for a new job and spending time doing things that make me happy is really keeping things in perspective. Am I thrilled to be unemployed? Certainly not – but I’m keeping the mood swings the job search can cause to a minimum and that feels like a victory.

Are you in a job search too? Need a little advice on keeping your mental equilibrium? Try the tips at this link! https://www.nlsnow.com/resources/the-impact-of-mental-health-on-your-job-search-and-career

Stress

Last time I was on a job search, I’ll admit I hit some mental health walls. It wasn’t just the job search – I also had a parent who was failing and dealing with that was really stressful too. But it got really bad when I wouldn’t go outside during “work hours.”

I am now 4 weeks past the day of the meeting with HR and my VP telling me I was on the lay off list. I think I’m doing OK but it’s early days right? I received 2 rejection emails over the last week that I freely admit stung a bit because I respect the company and I thought my skills were a good match to the job description. But hey – I networked in and maybe the next role that comes up will be an even better match.

It’s tough being between jobs when I have invested so much of myself in my work. I’m unapologetically a Type A person – I actually love to work. So not having that work rhythm to drive my days is difficult.

I’m still up at 6:30am every morning and trying to keep a routine of getting to my desk well before 9am to look at the job boards and network. And I’ve started the process of renewing my Google Analytics and Google Adwords certifications. Might even take some coding classes I’ve been eyeing after the holidays. But I’m REALLY hoping this search doesn’t take a really long time – the emotional roller coaster isn’t a good place for me!

I found these articles about stress and searching for a job – check them out? They might be helpful!