A few months ago, while navigating on LinkedIn, I stumbled upon an article by the Financial Times and thought: “Finally someone is talking about the job search process from a different perspective!” While the article might sound disheartening at first, believe it or not, I would have loved reading it when I started looking for my first graduate job!
What you should know before starting the job search
If you are at the initial stage of looking for a job and feeling “lost” in the process, do not despair, as having heard this countless times from friends and acquaintances is what actually led me to write this article!
From the job descriptions themselves, we are often led to believe that we should focus our time and energy on preparing a competitive CV and cover letter.
Here is my word of advice, though: besides trying to prove your skills and experiences to employers–if done 24/7, it can lead you to feel disconnected from your true motivations for applying to those jobs–make sure to dedicate enough time to nurture and explore the passions and core values behind these motivations. While this might sound rather abstract, it will soon make sense as I will explain how self-development has entered into my daily routine in an equally unexpected and beneficial way and how it has helped me in my job search journey.
What is self-development?
Self-development, or personal development, is all about training your self-awareness, and, especially at the beginning, it will be rather unsettling as it will lead you to listen to your inner self; something I realized I had never dedicated enough time to.
If you think about it, this is something quite contrasting with our Western society and education system as during our studies, our grades, and the capacity to conclude our academic journeys on time are prioritized over any self-contemplation. The good news is that self-development is a matter of practice: the more you practice it, the more you will be aware of what is beneficial for you and in which ways.
Examples of activities
Since there is no “right way” to practice self-development, let me give you a list of activities that worked out very well for me in the long run, keeping in mind that there are many other tools you could try as well and that each one of them will need to be adapted to your needs and preferences:
Journaling: as simple as it sounds, journaling consists of keeping track of your daily thoughts and feelings in a journal. There is actually a lot of research suggesting journaling is beneficial for mental health in many ways and, for this reason, it is often used as a tool by coaches.
Based on my personal experience the tip I would give you is: you will find plenty of inspiration for your journaling practice on social media as journaling has recently gained momentum. However, do not seek perfectionism: this could have the opposite effect of stressing you out rather than giving yourself emotional and cognitive comfort.
Meditation: less about expressing your thoughts and more about isolating yourself from them, focusing on the present moment, given our tight daily schedules, it can be hard to create this space of isolation as it is pretty normal, especially at the beginning, to come up with thoughts or to-dos for the day during the practice.
My tip for you here is to give guided meditations a try and introduce yourself to this Eastern spiritual practice. You will probably not enjoy all of them as some aspects such as the tone of voice or the affirmations are very subjective, but I am sure you will come to find the ones that suit you, perhaps on YouTube or even on other different fitness apps.
Books and/or self-development podcasts: one of the aspects I find most fascinating about self-development is that it is not only a study on a personal level–of your strengths and areas for growth–but also one to enhance your knowledge on a more general, human level.
In fact, while we often relate self-development to spirituality, the self-development books and podcasts that have made it into my “Top 3” are from a renowned psychologist and a chiropractor thanks to whom I have recently learned more about, for instance, the power of emotional intelligence in leadership.
Volunteering: I felt it was important to include volunteering in this list since, when looking for a job, we, very understandably, prioritize paid opportunities over unpaid ones. However, let me tell you that now I would have–yet again–loved to hear this at the beginning of my job search: you will most likely not end up finding your dream job immediately. This is where volunteering becomes valuable for you as it can direct you toward what you truly care about and the impact you want to make while looking for your dream job.
Are you passionate about youth, the environment, or perhaps animal protection? Volunteering in these fields will have the added value of aligning your CV with your passions, thus making it easier to find a job in these fields.
Self-improvement courses: yes, besides self-development there is also the world of self-improvement, and experts in the field suggest combining the two in the path to achieving your dreams and goals.
My tip is to opt for this tool when you realize there is a particular skill that you would like to improve, but do not overthink it as any course for skills enhancement can help you boost your confidence and, besides this, many skills are transversal so you could use them in a wide variety of work situations.
How these activities could benefit your job-search routine
Now, let’s conclude with the most interesting part: what have I learned from self-development and how has it made my job search process a bit less stressful?
- Talking about stress, studying, and practicing self-development has made me realize the huge amount of time and energy required for applying for jobs. In the long run, practicing self-development has enabled me to identify which activities allow me to keep my stress levels low and where to place them during my day. For instance, I find that “putting my thoughts on paper” by journaling in the morning enables me to start my day with a fresh and relaxed mind.
- Another added value of personal development is that it enables you to put the challenges of the job search in a bigger context. The more I read and listened, the more I realized that questioning myself–my strengths, weaknesses, and even my choices–is a human experience, and, as such, it is totally normal.
- Self-development is also a lot about developing gratefulness for each and every step. This might sound awkward, but in the context of a job search, this can enable you to see failures as valuable teachings on what is/is not for you, and, as such, they are an achievement from a self-growth perspective.
- You do not have to face this alone: this is one of the most valuable realizations I have had and, probably, the one I am most proud of. Even if this self-discovery journey might seem something rather introspective, it does not mean you need to “travel by yourself!” Do not see it as a process you should hide from others as you should be proud of it: you are empowering yourself and, after all, searching for that dream job is exhausting for anybody!
So grab that yoga mat and start exploring possibilities to join a mindfulness event close to where you live: it will be both fun and rewarding!