6 Tips for Overcoming Job Search Anxiety

Back when I thought I might want to work at a top tech company, I signed up for the Outco program. Outco’s focus is helping participants successfully pass data structure and algorithm interviews. Ironically, it was during my time at Outco that I decided working at a top tech company wasn’t for me. My favorite part of the program was the one night a week career portion - this is also the portion I could see my classmates dreaded most.

Introversion and difficulties with social interaction during a job search are very common. It’s also the reason most job seekers shy away from reaching out to recruiters at companies they’re interested in. If the thought of reverse recruiting for yourself triggers your anxiety, keep reading.

Whether you prefer to call it introversion, shyness, or social anxiety, the fact of the matter is each of these can have an impact on how you approach your job search strategy. We each have difficulties with communication. You might prefer to fill out dozens or even hundreds of job applications hoping to hear back from a recruiter rather than reverse recruiting for yourself. You might dread interviews with recruiters and hiring managers and wish you could skip right to the coding portion.

Some people prefer doing a take-home exercise that could take 6+ hours to complete rather than coding on the spot during a pair-programming session. You might kick ass during a pair-programming interview, but get anxious when it comes to the final group interview.

I find myself more comfortable interviewing with recruiters, hiring managers, and team members than I am with showcasing myself through résumés or my LinkedIn profile. I find it difficult and quite frankly, awkward, listing and quantifying my accomplishments.

Regardless of what our preferences are, the job search process requires most job seekers to “extrovert” themselves. If you’re feeling overwhelmed with the amount of social interaction that is needed during your job search, here are 6 tips to help ease that anxiety.

1. Practice self-compassion.

We tend to overthink and make assumptions about what others are thinking when we’re nervous. We start beating ourselves up for not being able to answer a question, causing us to get more flustered. The fact is, we don’t know what our interviewers are thinking. Just because you think you’re not doing well doesn’t make it true.

Back when I was interviewing for my first professional iOS dev role, I remember feeling like the final round of interviews was slowly slipping out of my hands. I had felt like everything had been going well up until that point. By the end of it, I left feeling like I had screwed it all up because I wasn’t able to answer their questions. As it turns out, by the time I got home afterward, there was an email with a job offer waiting for me. My point is, just because we feel we screwed up doesn’t make it true. Later on, one of my colleagues shared with me that they appreciated my honesty about not knowing the answer to their questions. They preferred that over someone who tries to b.s. their way through it.

2. Focus on your strengths and practice your delivery.

You don’t have to be comfortable interviewing to do well. Focus on two or three strengths that you bring to the table and practice, practice, practice how you’re going to showcase them to your interviewers. The more comfortable you are sharing your strengths, the less you’ll think about where you feel you are lacking.

3. Take the spotlight off of you.

An interview is an opportunity for a conversation. Make the most of that opportunity and ask your interviewer questions. Not only will that shift the focus away from you and reduce your anxiety of being on the spot, but companies appreciate when candidates come prepared with questions.

4. Crush job interviews by using informational interviews as practice.

Filling out hundreds of job applications probably sounds more appealing than trying to connect with someone at a company you’re interested in. The thought of informational interviewing is probably freaking you out right now. Hear me out, though.

No matter what, you’re going to have to interview for a job. And I know you know you’ll get better with every interview you do. So why wait for a recruiter to reach out to get that practice? Practice those one-on-one conversations with you being on the other side. Think about it. During an informational interview, you get to ask the questions. You get to dictate the course of the conversation. And if you screw it up, it’s not like you had anything to lose in the first place.

If you’re curious about informational interviews, take a look at How to Network When Imposter Syndrome Starts Kicking In.

5. Find companies you’re excited about.

One could argue that the more excited you are about a job, the more anxiety it causes you because there’s more to lose. Sure, that’s one way to look at the situation. On the other hand, the more enthusiasm you feel for that job, the easier it is to turn that anxiety into excited energy. Use that energy to your advantage. Struggling to find companies you’re excited about? Check out my article, Building a Companies List to Find Your Dream Job.

6. Don’t forget to breathe.

Get rid of all those thoughts rushing through your mind right before the interview. Take a few minutes before the interview to just breathe. Close your eyes and focus on taking deep breaths. Start with a 10 count, and if it feels good, keep going. This mindfulness is a great way to reduce the stress of an interview.

Final Tips

During your job search, keep your interests and values top of mind - you’ll find it easier to connect with companies when you do. Focus on your skills and strengths rather than “weaknesses”. Weaknesses aren’t weaknesses, they are areas of improvement and we all have those.