How To Overcome Procrastination While Looking For A New Job – 3 Simple Ideas
Written by: Anna Krzysztoszek, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
First and foremost, it is completely understandable we feel awkward and uncomfortable while leaving our comfort zone. Recruiting processes and job interviews are one of these situations where we need to be in the spotlight again. For the majority, such moments are challenging, especially after a difficult life situation like sickness, being without a job for a longer time, or after our contract has been terminated. Here are some thoughts and ideas which usually trigger positive mind shifts.
1. Rejection
A negative reply from a potential employer is nothing personal. There might be many different reasons standing behind a negative response. The company might have already found some interesting candidates. Or maybe the best candidate has been chosen but the job advertisement is still visible online and has not been deactivated yet. Taking a negative response personally might be a wrong assumption. If you are very curious about why you received a negative response, simply ask for feedback. By asking for it, we put ourselves in the shoes of the recruiter or potential supervisor, which is a helpful, inspiring shift. It also weakens our negative self-talk because we focus on external feedback and real opinions, not on our subjective feeling of self-worth. One of the most effective ways of asking for feedback is a sentence similar to the following one: “Thank you for your reply. I am continuously working on improving my personal and technical skills, so your feedback related to what you missed in my resume would be of great help to me.” Such sentences express full acceptance of the company’s decision and show you as someone who just would like to know what skills are currently still missing, so you can work on them in the future.
2. General Application Letter
Many of my coaches invest a lot of time in researching and writing detailed, customized application letters for each of the companies they apply for. Make it simple. Do not invest too much time in such activities, if it is generally difficult to overcome procrastination, as it might slow the process even more. Better choose 4 to 6 job descriptions that are close to the position you are looking for and mark the most typical and characteristic keywords. Repeat these keywords in your future application letters so there is no need to invest a lot of time in writing a new application letter every time you apply for a job. In this stage, it is worth keeping the quote of Albert Einstein in the back of our minds: “Make it as simple as possible, but not simpler”. Once you are invited for an interview, you can invest hours and days in researching the company but in the initial stage of the recruiting process too much detail-oriented customization and time-consuming research often lead to an unnecessary waste of time, and an increase in frustration, in case the company’s response is negative.
3. Long Online Forms
In case you observed signs of procrastination, skip recruiting processes that require filling in long online forms. Focus on those that provide the best and fastest experience to their candidates. The vast majority of candidates have the impression such long forms are irritating and time-wasting – this could increase procrastination. Unfortunately, there are still companies that are not using OCR software (Optical Character Recognition software) in their recruiting processes. In the first place, focus on those who are focused on you having the best possible user experience.
Last but not least, be kind to yourself. It is generally helpful to reflect on which steps of the recruiting process are linked to the strongest procrastination response. Organize those bottlenecks in a way that is supportive to you, not discouraging or upsetting. It is an effort that will pay off.
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Anna Krzysztoszek, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Anna Krzysztoszek has more than 20 years of international experience in business ‒ from large corporations to start-ups. She is the owner of Green Butterfly ‒ Coaching & Recruiting. The completion of her German and Dutch studies, her pedagogical education, the certificate of a Psychological Advisor and various business degrees, such as Master of Business Administration (MBA), reflect Anna's main focus and passion: combining her economical expertise with the always present interest in people and the art of making the best of our lives. This especially applies to professional matters ‒ after all, we spend a third of our life at our workplace.
