How to deal with career anxiety: three top tips

You know that feeling. The knot in the stomach, the lump in the throat, the slowly creeping panic.

We have all been there haven’t we? The above quote is from a blog post by Rose Watson at University of Worcester, and shares some excellent tips to help you overcome your anxiety.

Of course, if you are at university, there are support mechanisms in place, to help with health, wellbeing and your career development. If you are a current student or recent graduate, then do contact your University’s student support teams, who can direct you to appropriate resources.

What if you are not at university or college? Obviously, we can help, and we specialise in CVs and job applications – do get in touch for a free chat to get you pointed in the right direction.

When do people get anxious about their career?

In our experience, there are three main sources of career anxiety:

1. You are out of work and looking for a job: This is always a difficult situation, and never more so than during the current pandemic. Don’t forget to check out our top tips for job seekers.
2. You are in a job you don’t like: It can be so demoralising when you are working, day after day, in a job you just don’t care for, or where you have hit a wall. Try not to forget the positives: it is usually better to be in a job than unemployed, and the reference from your current employer could come in very useful.
3. You don’t know what you really want to do: A lot of people feel this way, even those who seem to be well-established in their careers! Some people never settle on one type of work, others may already be in work but suffering from imposter syndrome – we will have more about this in a future blog post.

Top tips to help you deal with your career anxiety:

1. A little preparation can help a lot: Plan your next steps, and write down what you plan to do. You may even want to set yourself some reminders on your phone to review your progress. If you are looking for a job, then check out our three top tips for job seekers.
2. Don’t panic: Whatever your circumstances, remember that you are not the only one feeling the way you do. There are sources of support out there, and it doesn’t cost anything to ask a question.
3. Remember to keep things manageable: One of my favourite quotations is commonly known as the Serenity Prayer; this is often referred to in coaching, religion and recovery programmes, but it doesn’t have to refer to any of those. This is basically a reminder that you cannot control everything – so focus upon the things you can control, and be prepared to respond to external factors.