New data released for this year’s Stress Awareness Week reveals more than three quarters (76%) of unemployed job seekers feel anxious

Job seekers are 40% more likely than the national average to experience feelings of anxiety
Nearly two thirds (63%) of job seekers experience feelings of stress about the direction of their life

Adzuna has provided expert tips to minimise stress during a job search

More than three quarters (76%) of unemployed job seekers experience anxiety, according
to YouGov¹ data sourced by the job search engine, Adzuna.

Findings released by Adzuna to mark this year’s Stress Awareness Week (4th – 10th November), reveal those who are currently out of work and seeking employment are 40% more likely to experience feelings of anxiety than the national average. Similarly, nearly two thirds (63%) worry about the direction of their life while being 86% more likely to describe themselves as “depressed” in comparison to the rest of the nation.

To support those who are looking for a new job, experts at Adzuna have shared advice to help minimise feelings of stress while on the lookout for a new job.

Break it down

As of this week, there are almost one million live job adverts in the UK, which can seem like a daunting prospect at first. Before you start your job search it is important to drill down the exact requirements for a new role to narrow down opportunities and sort vacancies into manageable ‘chunks’.

Consider your skills and experience and any keywords associated with these, as well as things like location, salary and company. Use search filters to distil opportunities into lists that feel more manageable so you’re not overwhelmed with 500,000+ potential jobs.

Make the most of the tools available

There are countless tools that have been created to make finding a job as easy as possible. Adzuna’s advanced search features are designed to search for specific phrases, salary limits or locations to help you find your specific requirements. A tool like ValueMyCV provides salary estimates based on your skills and experience, so you know your ‘market worth’ before starting your job search.

Take a look through recruitment sites, Jobcentre advice pages and job boards to find the tools that work for you, then use them at every opportunity to alleviate some of the pressure.

Take a break

The work that comes with the job hunt can be intense and, if not carefully managed, can quickly lead to burnout.

As you would with any normal workload, set yourself clear parameters for searching and applying for jobs and allow yourself to have a break outside of these times.

Know your worth

If a job hunt continues over a long period of time, it can soon become disheartening. Ensure you always come back to your relevant skills and experience and remember how they make you an asset for an employer.

Don’t be tempted to settle for less, as this will only lead to issues further down the line. If you’re not sure where to begin, do some research to find average salaries in your area for the roles you’re looking for. This will give you a good guide to help steer your search and can help you when negotiating salaries when you get to that stage.

Set realistic targets

There are so many job opportunities out there once you begin searching, but it’s important to not try to go after all of them at once. Doing this will not only increase your stress levels and make your job hunt more exhausting, but will most likely mean the quality of your applications will deteriorate.

Set yourself achievable targets each day and do everything you can to stick to them. These targets could be as simple as spending half an hour reviewing job sites, or spending a bigger chunk of time updating your CV or submitting an application.

Whatever your targets are, review your progress every day and ask yourself whether they are realistic, or you could be setting yourself up for stress before you’ve even begun.

Ask for help

Often one of the hardest things to do when feeling stressed, asking for some help can be one of the most powerful tools at a job seeker’s disposal.

Help and advice can be found on Council and Jobcentre websites, on various recruitment sites and forums, in local libraries and various careers and employability services across the country. You can also recruit friends and family, who can help monitor opportunities, proofread CVs and cover letters, or help to roleplay interviews.

Whatever you do, don’t suffer in silence as there will always be a resource available that can help.

Andrew Hunter, co-founder of Adzuna, commented: “We set up Adzuna with the sole purpose of making it as easy as possible for people to find the right job for them and have dedicated time and expertise to creating tools and resources that help job seekers.

“Everyone knows that searching for a new job is often a stressful time, however there are a range of tools and techniques that can be implemented that keep this stress to a minimum. Whilst we’ll never be able to alleviate stress from the job hunt entirely, we shared these findings to put a spotlight on the extent of the stress that job seekers are faced with, and hope that our tools and advice can be of some help to jobseekers during this Stress Awareness Week.”

For more information, visit https://www.adzuna.co.uk/