If you’ve been feeling butterflies in your stomach as you go through the job search process as a graduate fresh out of school, you’re not alone! Searching for your first job (or internship) is a big life change, and is your first step to adulting.

Add all that to the uncertainty in the market right now, and your levels of anxiety have probably gone through the roof. You’ve probably already started wondering what the odds of landing your dream job during a pandemic and recession are. Then, to make things worse, you start comparing yourself with your peers who have already received job offers. Or perhaps you can’t stop thinking that you’re too plain or underqualified (or overqualified!) to catch employers’ eyes.

These emotions, however negative, are perfectly valid and normal. However, if constantly beating yourself up only leads to you giving up on your job search and staying in bed all day, then that’s not normal and definitely not healthy. You’ll be more likely to change your situation if you’re able to transform your negative emotions and thoughts into productive actions. Maybe it sounds easier said than done, but it’s certainly not impossible!

Don’t compare yourself to your peers

You may have friends and schoolmates who’ve managed to land positions before graduation, or seem to have absolutely no problems getting interviews lined up. Or maybe your parents keep talking about how so-and-so’s son or daughter just got a nice, cushy job with their dream employer.

Except, there’s an issue. All that has nothing to do with you! So don’t compare yourself with others, and move at your own pace. You won’t do yourself any favours by putting yourself down or bashing your self-confidence. Instead, remember that you are your own person and your success will come eventually.

Talk to other professionals

It’s no secret that knowledge is power. And unfortunately, no matter how crucial job descriptions are, they only give you a glimpse of what you’ll be doing in a role. So instead of driving your anxiety levels up the walls filling in the blanks, take the initiative to bridge the knowledge gap. Get yourself into a better position by connecting with other professionals – they don’t even need to be in your chosen industry!

You don’t necessarily have to look far. Try reaching out to your seniors from university, or talk to relatives, or friends of friends. Hearing from others who’ve gone ahead may give you the information you need to allay your fears. Additionally, the new knowledge may help you reach a greater understanding about what you really want out of your career – which will then help you with expressing yourself in applications and interviews, too!

Have a few practice interviews

If your anxiety stems from the idea of sitting down and just getting through an interview, your campus career services, seniors, or some friends are best suited to help you. There’s no shame in asking for help, so ask them to simulate an interview with you. Who knows, it may even help you realise that interviews really aren’t as stressful as you think!

After a few rounds of practice interviews, you’ll be a lot more prepared, and this can also give you a leg up against any competition you’ll be coming up against. Don’t forget to practise for video interviews, too. Both online and in-person interviews have their own unique quirks, so you need ample time to familiarise yourself with both.

Look after yourself

Make time to take care of yourself, so get to your feet and exercise. The endorphins your body produces will keep your spirits buoyed and your anxiety at bay. Also keep in mind that it’s easy to tell yourself something like, “I’ve graduated in the middle of a recession and I’ll never find a job”. But on top of being fantastically inaccurate, that statement you’re repeating to yourself is only adding to your anxiety. Instead, keep the voice in your head to something more positive. Examples include: “This may be hard, but I’ll eventually get a job I want!” or “I have done what I can, and I have no regrets!”

Learn to enjoy the journey

You may find yourself going through all kinds of highs and lows, whether it’s finally landing your dream job or getting lost – figuratively and literally – on the day of your interview. All you can do is learn how to enjoy the journey, and – who knows – you might even build skills like resilience and discover things about yourself that you never knew before!

Above all, remember that the job search process is a journey, not a race. You’ll emerge from it having learnt and grown from all the experiences you had along the way. So figure out how to take a step back every once in a while, enjoy the ride and trust that everything will be all right in the end so long as you keep your eyes on the prize!