How Do You Ensure A Stress-Free Job Search?

There is no such thing as a stress-free job search. There will always be some sort of stress:

• Why am I not getting replies?
• How can I stand out from competition?
• Did I answer well in the interviews?

Tip #1: Believing stress is bad for you is the 15th largest cause of death in US, killing more people than skin cancer, HIV/AIDS and homicide

Instead of viewing stress as something undesirable and as an enemy, physical changes (i.e. heart pounding, breathing faster, breaking out into a sweat) caused by stress can be viewed as signs that your body was energised and preparing you to meet this challenge.

Hence, rather than getting rid of stress, a better question would be: How can we be better at stress?

Tip #2: The rules for getting a job have changed

Sending job applications has been made easier because of the internet, as a result, employers are getting many more applications than before and in recent years, they have been using Applicant Tracking System (ATS) to help them manage and filter applications.

If you fail to tailor your resume to the job descriptions, the chances are you may be filtered out right from the start. Your resume may not even be seen by any human relevant in the entire hiring process.

Spamming job applications is NOT a strategy, simply sending your resume via the job post link DOES NOT make you an ACTIVE job seeker.

Besides tailoring your resume for an application, an active job seeker will be consistently creatively sourcing for ways to build & showcase their unique selling points (USPs).

In the 70's, only 10.7% of people went to university whereas now, it’s over 30% . Clearly, having a degree means far less than it once did.

Former education is important, however, now more than ever, when entire industries are being created faster than universities can create courses, what employers are looking for is experience.?

Who's going to give me a job with no experience?

• Build something (i.e. do passion projects, participate in hackathons)
• Freelance
• Volunteer
• Internship

Tip #3: Work with a trusted career practitioner

Job search has the nature of a full-time job. It requires focus and constant evaluation. It can also be a lonely journey. Partner with someone who has your best interests and competency to support and guide you throughout the process.

Becoming Irreplaceable aims to empower fellow professionals to build sustainable and meaningful careers, this is definitely one way for us to increase our own happiness index! It is really about taking the control back.