Waiting for a Job? Never do these 5 Things
By: Arif Mansuri
Tags: Job Search, Unemployed, Job Hunting, Career Advice, Unemployment

Or else You’ll pay a High Price later.

On one hand, you have all this free time, but on the other hand, you never asked for so much of it.

You’ve applied to several places and continue to do so, and so life nowadays is basically you in a bland waiting room, punctuated by the occasional virtual interview. The point is not whether you’ll get a job or not — of course, you will — but how will time in this gray room of life change you.

Being here was not your fault. But you shouldn’t end up embarrassed by what you see in the mirror after all this ends. You shouldn’t be saddened by a defeat that was never your mistake.

There’s the standard advice about eating right and exercising and so on during this period, but there’s also some specific tips that tend to fall between the reams of cliched suggestions. Tips that sometimes make the difference between a life in control and a life adrift.

There are five tips that I know are likely to have an immense impact on how this episode of your life turns out. While I’m certain you will have a job soon and likely a good one, these critical ideas will ensure that you emerge on the other side with your self-esteem and confidence intact.

Don’t oversleep.

The temptation is almost unbearable. Imagine your hottest celebrity crush personally beckoning you to bed.

It starts with sleeping just a little bit more the first morning because you’re tired and could use the rest. And in a shockingly short period of time, you will end up like a friend of mine who now wakes up at 3 pm.

Set a time, it doesn’t have to be too early, but always get up at that time. If you have to, take a nap in the afternoon, but don’t oversleep.

Sleeping late consistently is like shockwaves for your internal physiological systems including your appetite, your mood, and your cognitive abilities. Even more worryingly, there is no way you will feel good about yourself waking up that late. Unless you’re a Saudi prince, you will spend the day feeling that the entire day has been lost and that you are not in control of anything.

Get up on time consistently, and take charge of your day with confidence and power.

2. Don’t avoid Friends.

A sense of shame naturally pervades our mood, thanks to our social conditioning. Holding a job is a matter of pride and hence losing one seems shameful. I completely disagree with the logic, but that’s what our primitive brain deduces.

This shame then also gently convinces us to avoid friends and social gatherings. We avoid calls, or keep the calls really short, and generally try to keep to ourselves.

The problem with that thinking is that we’re also avoiding the best pain-killers for our condition. Friends, the genuine ones that is, are sympathetic and a chat with them provides a subconscious validation of our self-worth. Talking to them is a welcome distraction and a source of good news and interesting ideas.

I can’t speak for everyone’s friends, but the good ones never give you reason to be embarrassed. Even the clumsy ones are supportive, understanding, and provide a cathartic outlet for your inner pain.

And the sensitive ones will actually help you exorcise your feelings, reframe your anxieties, and move forward to a more positive frame of mind.