The job search: How to Handle the stress
By Emerson Driscoll
Edited by Anna Kate Mereness
Internships. Career fair. Business clothes. Elevator pitches. Networking. And, it’s all on top of your coursework and life at college. For juniors and seniors primarily, the fall semester is nothing short of stressful.
Whether you’re in business or not, the search for your career has started. The annual Miami University Career Fair has already passed, and interviews and coffee chats have since been underway. Whatever position you are in currently, whether you got that offer or stay in a waiting period, or just lack direction entirely, you are not alone. You are also not unprepared. You are not behind. You are not dumb for not having a job lined up for you yet. You are not unintelligent because you could not answer an interview question perfectly.
With all of the stress when thinking about our future and our careers, we look for reasons to associate our self worth with the process, just like we do with everything else. If you get the internship, you are smart and worthy right? If you don’t, and you have to switch your career path, you should have known and had a backup plan.
I find myself thinking I should know exactly what I want to do right now and strictly follow that path. I have to make sure I connect with the right people on LinkedIn, use any connections I have ever had, even if it was a single conversation years ago, perfect my behavioral question responses, and be prepared to spit out my elevator pitch basically on command.
What is frustrating is there really is no one there to know if it will work out exactly as you hope. There is no one saying yes now this is the next step, or yes just keep at what you’re doing, you will get your offer soon.
That should not be discouraging. That should be freeing.
No one is tied down to a certain path. We are not tied down by our majors and our interests to follow a strategic plan that will perfectly align with us and lead us to success immediately. It is not an easy process and it is not perfect, but it is like anything else in our lives, a way to express ourselves, a way to support us, to live. It is not indicative of your worthiness, it should never lessen your confidence, and make you question your ability.
Yes, if you are wanting to find a career, experience is necessary. An internship can lead to a return offer, your connections can recommend you, you can be led down a path, you can be successful, but stop relying on the process to feel success and pride within yourself. Celebrate the small wins, give yourself a second to breathe and remember you are not a machine. No one else knows everything, even if they seem like they do, so neither do you! You can take a day off and do something else and then revisit your search. Just take a second to remember you have what it takes to do anything. Words do not make the process seem any easier, but trust within yourself and your ability, and take that with you rather than the unnecessary stress that characterizes the experience.
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