How to Avoid Job Search Burnout So You Can Be Your Best in Networking and Interviewing

Have you ever felt that looking for a job is more work than having a job? And that it's especially true when you're in between roles?

Having coached hundreds of people engaged in job searches, one of the most common things I hear from clients is that their job search is exhausting. It seems to take over every waking hour of their lives. And my guess is that they probably even dream about it.

There are good reasons to be highly focused on a job search and devote a great deal of energy and attention to it. It's your career, after all, and there might be financial considerations weighing on your mind. You're likely going to experience at least some rejection, surfacing doubts you might be having about your career direction and even your abilities.

What seems to take clients by surprise, or at least sneak up on them, is how quickly a job search can seep into almost every waking hour of their lives.

They never feel like they're getting a break from it. They never get to rest. It's exhausting.

And rather than being excited at the prospect of a new chapter in their careers, they can end up losing their motivation, their confidence and generally end up feeling burned out. As a former recruiter, I can tell you being in this state can telegraph in networking conversations and interviews. It's not what you want.

So is there anything you can do proactively to avoid experiencing job search burnout? I think there is.

There's no doubt about it — looking for a job can be an awful lot of work. With all the research, networking, interviewing, and follow-up required, you could easily spend 40 or 50 hours a week on it. I've heard tales of much more than that.

But should you?

More hours don't necessarily equal more progress in a job search. When I hear someone describe a job search that's exhausting and all-consuming, one of the first things I check is how focused the client's job search strategy is. Or if they have a strategy at all.

I look for sufficient focus when it comes to role, industry and geography. If any combination of these considerations is too broad, or worse, undefined, it can lead to a person spreading themselves too thin. The amount of time required to research multiple roles, in multiple industries, in multiple geographies is more than... Well, you get the idea. For people who attempt this overly broad approach, overwhelm is often the result.

So if the task list related to your job search is growing to the point of being overwhelming, stop to assess your strategy. Is it focused enough? If not, try prioritizing the types of roles you're pursuing. Limit yourself to one or two industries (three at most). And avoid engaging in a 'national' search if you can help it. There are exceptions, of course. The type of role you're pursuing, or your target industry, may have partially or fully opted into the work-from-home movement. If that's the case and your search is national, try to be even more targeted when it comes to role and industry so you don't overextend yourself. In many situations, you're going to want to connect with a community of professionals in a particular geography to raise your profile, and your 'findability', so that job opportunities can potentially present themselves to you in addition to you seeking them out.

I've written about networking towards a community of people and its benefits, so check it out.

Don't fall into the more-time-equals-more-progress trap

Refining your job search strategy is a foundational step to take, but it doesn't necessarily guarantee that your search won't grow into something unmanageable. I often see people engaged in a job search failing to set limits and boundaries. Perhaps they're not the best planners, or maybe they feel guilty about every hour and minute they're not engaged in the job search. Sometimes it's a combination of the two.

Just like you might do for any consequential project, investing a little effort in assessing how much time you think your job search should take is an essential part of the planning process.

Let's assume for a moment that you're in between jobs and your time has few limits. I think that this is the most precarious of situations. If this is the situation you're in, you might be thinking, "I have a lot of free time now. I should be spending as much of it as I can on my job search because I want to be in my next role as quickly as possible." Or maybe you have a target date for starting a new job that's tied to something already on your calendar, like the end of the summer break, or a move. The reasons could vary.

A sense of urgency can be motivating to a point and lead to action and progress. All good. But when that sense of urgency (or guilt) leads to spending every available moment on a job search, you're likely going to experience diminishing returns. The result could be a demotivating cycle: You think the responsible thing to do is to work on your job search as much as possible. As a result, you put time in even when you're tired and distracted. The incremental gain from that time is less than you might have expected. So you invest even more time. Not only are the returns for the time invested diminishing, but you may not be giving your networking enough time to yield results. People don't always respond to messages and calls quickly, and decision-making processes related to recruiting can be slow.

Getting into a vicious cycle of high effort for relatively low yield in a job search can lead to frustration and burnout. And that can bring the search to a grinding halt. 

So what's the answer?

Set limits and boundaries

First, assess how much time you think you should be spending on your job search. That will vary from person to person and from search to search. Some roles in some industries in some geographies are just going to require more time. How experienced and well qualified you are for a role could also make a difference. So could the economic environment you're working in.

If you're finding it difficult to make an educated guess about how much time you should be devoting to a job search, then try coming at it from the other side. Ask yourself how much time you think you could reasonably spend on your job search without feeling burned out. You likely have a sense of that.

The point is, pick a starting point, whether that's 8 hours a week or 16 hours a week. Start with something, and then adjust as you go.

And put that time on your calendar in blocks. You know your commitments and schedule better than I do. Some days of the week may be better for finding uninterrupted time to focus, and you may also be more of a morning, afternoon or evening person. Distribute the hours you think you should be spending on your job search throughout the week in blocks. Plan on increments of at least one hour. Two to three hours is better. But if you have other commitments in your life, like spending time with your family or volunteering, then consider blocks as short as 30 minutes. Do what works and what your life and schedule allow.

Once you have those blocks of time for your job search on your calendar, respect them. Sit down and do the work when you had planned to do it. And then — don't feel guilty outside those hours. Focus on other things. Spend time with family and friends. Enjoy your life. If you find that you're not making progress quickly enough, then stop and ask yourself if your job search strategy is focused enough. If you think it is, try slowly increasing the amount of time you allocate to your search every week.

Whatever you do, try to maintain the boundaries between the time you're focused on your job search and the time for everything else. It will help keep you motivated, fresh, and optimistic. And that will come across in your networking in interviewing.

You want to be the person and candidate who radiates energy and positivity in whatever way suits your style.

Allocate and proactively manage your time

Recognize that the type of work you'll be doing to move your job search forward will vary by stage. You'll probably be spending most of your time on research at the early stages. Then you'll move on to networking, applications (if they end up being a part of your job search strategy) and initial interviews.

Once you begin interviewing, you'll lose some of your ability to set boundaries when it comes to your time and schedule. Be flexible, but remember that you don't have to say 'yes' to everything reflexively. Recruiters and hiring managers are used to negotiating schedules and recruiting requirements with candidates. Stay enthusiastic — and show respect and consideration, and you'll probably receive the same in return.

If you have strict boundaries around some of your time (for example, you'll be attending the wedding of a family member, or you have a regular commitment to childcare at certain times of the week), be proactive about sharing that information with your key contacts in the recruiting process. If they have this information early, they can do their best to plan around it.

Once you've advanced to be a serious candidate in a search, the demands on your time are likely going to increase. This will be even more likely if you're in the running for a mid or senior-level role. Ask your primary contact or the recruiter you're working with what you can expect in terms of time commitment. I'm sure they'd be happy to give you a sense of it so that you can plan ahead and be available when they need you.

Conclusion

If you're in the market for a new job, it's essential that you present as a person with energy, enthusiasm and a positive outlook. But if the time demands of your search have ballooned beyond reason, you'll be in danger of presenting as the opposite of that. You'll risk coming across as tired or frazzled and maybe even a little desperate. Not your sharpest, brightest self.

To help ensure that the time you devote to your job search remains manageable and that you stay fresh and engaged, consider the following:

1. Develop a strategy for your job search that takes role, industry and geography into account, and write it down. You'll be less likely to spread yourself too thin, you won't spin your wheels, and you'll make progress faster.
2. Informed by your job search strategy, decide how much time you'll spend working on your search each week. If you're not sure what's appropriate, make a guess and adjust as you go. Keep in mind that the amount of time you need to invest will likely vary by the stage of the search you're in.
3. Schedule time for your search on your calendar in blocks. Consider those blocks of time to be firm commitments, and honor them. Make sure that they're reasonable given the other commitments you may already have in your life and that they're in sync with the times of day when you do your best work. Leave time for personal interests, socializing and rest. Sleep some, too.
4. Enjoy the time away from your job search, and don't feel guilty about it. You're doing yourself, and your job search, a favor. Time off from your search will help keep you fresh and engaged so that you're at your best in networking conversations and interviews.

A job search can be a lot of work, but it doesn't need to sap every last bit of your energy for it to be successful. Just the opposite. By managing and protecting your time, you'll maintain your energy levels and be a more attractive candidate as a result.

If you're currently in a job search or are about to embark on one and want to ensure that you're investing your time as efficiently as possible, consider coaching. We can get you focused and working efficiently, and help ensure that you present your best self to your network and potential employers.