Take a fresh look at mental clutter, thoughts that interfere with your job search

Shutterstock photo

Have you ever thought about the positive changes that a job search can bring into your life, like taking self-discipline in maintaining a routine or adapting a new mindset formed out of the uncertainties a job change can bring?

One of the surprising self-discoveries of a job search is becoming aware of how much mental clutter you can accumulate when going through a transition. Mental clutter can sometimes feel overwhelming when your mind has too many thoughts going on at the same time, creating a fruitless search.

Experts say that when your surroundings are disorganized and cluttered, it is hard to focus on making progress, so it goes with your job search. For example, a job candidate once described his lack of progress in getting an employer to respond because his mental energy was constantly focused on updating his resume. He had written over 50 resumes, with each one being somewhat similar but different to him.

The problem was that his mind was cluttered with so much information on writing a resume that he was consumed with getting it right. He was so distracted from having the perfect resume that his search lingered for almost a year. His progress might have been much faster, having let go of some of the thoughts that kept him unproductive.

Kudos for writing a great resume, but too much can create a distraction from your priority – landing a good opportunity. Even though chasing the perfect resume can be an obstruction, resumes are not the only things that add to mental clutter during your search. Your self-talk thoughts can build up over time, and you start collecting the negatives along the way.

Believe it or not, self-imposed barriers such as focusing on the skills you lack instead of the ones you acquired create wasted energy. Yet, it can be easy to spend time comparing your skill sets to others without a solution in mind.

One way you can reduce negative thoughts that clutter your mind is by naming your skills. Start listing your skills and what you find might surprise you. Most people have more skills than they first realize because they take them for granted. It is easy to get into a work routine, turning your skills on autopilot without thinking about your value to an organization.

Another area leading to mental clutter is fear. Fear can transform a highly accomplished professional to second-guessing their ability ever to be needed. The longer a search lasts, the easier self-doubt accumulates. The ebb and flow of rejection can weigh heavily on your mind as well, and when fear becomes the only voice you hear, it is time to declutter your self-talk.

Letting go of job search anxiety begins when you take a fresh start at examining your progress. For example, if you are not producing the results you want, then use a different tactic. Answering job postings takes an enormous amount of time, yet candidates will spend most of their time applying for jobs versus networking and meeting new people.

One way to combat the feelings of fear is to break it down into parts – such as using the acronym, False Evidence Appearing Real. Hanging onto thoughts that create barriers for you does not help you succeed in reaching your goals; instead, it gives you a good excuse for keeping the same routine. An excellent way to get rid of fear is to talk about it with others who can give you a different perspective.

Focusing on taking steps that will most likely lead to reaching your job search goals instead of collecting all the things that could go wrong will produce more positive outcomes. Decluttering your job search is a great way to let go of past mistakes, making room for a fresh start. Just like having a clean desk helps calm a busy mind, concentrate on what is most helpful to reaching your career goals.

If you were to rate a job search on a scale of 1-10, how would you rate your mindset as a factor in landing a good job?

Kim Thompson