The Wackerle Corner:
Manage your stress when job searching

By: Andrea Emery
News Editor

Feeling stressed? You’re not the only one, because this time of year tends to cause stress to many college students, especially those involved in a job or internship search.

Searching for jobs and internships can be a very stressful endeavor for many reasons. Just the act of conducting the search in between all of your obligations is enough to cause stress. Not only are you faced with daily tasks such as class and homework, but you may be involved in other sports, clubs or activities that take up a lot of your free time.

Why do we get so stressed out? According to Dr. Fred O. Smith of pharmsupport.com, “stress is usually a reaction to a threatening situation.” The body reacts to stress by releasing hormones such as adrenaline and cortisone. These hormones, as a reaction to stress cause the heart to beat faster and a burst of energy usually follows. Stress sometimes also causes a short-term inability to deal with problems.

For seniors, graduation is on the horizon and the reality of the next step is beginning to set in. If you are looking for a job, you might be threatened by the idea of not finding one. If you are awaiting acceptance to graduate or professional school, you might be threatened by the idea of not being accepted and having to take an alternate course.

Juniors, you might feel threatened by the idea of not finding that perfect summer internship.

Sophomores and freshmen, although you might not be job or internship searching, there are a lot of reasons why you may be stressed as well.

Fortunately, these feelings are normal and not as hard to manage as you may think. It is important to stay calm and relaxed in high-stress situations. Contrary to what you may believe, you actually can control some unwanted stress. Here are a few easy guidelines to follow when dealing with stress while searching for a job or internship:

Identify what is triggering your stress. Oftentimes a new situation like job searching or interviewing can be stressful. Once you identify some triggers that cause you stress, you can think about how to avoid stressful situations in the future, or find a way to deal with them less stressfully.

Learn some relaxation techniques. Think about yoga, deep breathing, muscle relaxation, meditation, visualization, biofeedback or exercise. Different techniques work for different people, so you may need to experiment with the techniques that work best for you.

Develop a strong social network. Others in your same position can help you to keep the situation in perspective and can support you during times of stress.

Use humor and laugh a little. Laugh at the cause of your stress. A good laugh session can do wonders for alleviating stress.

Be prepared. Practicing interview questions and exposing yourself to on-the-spot situations can help alleviate stress before you are actually in an interviewing situation.

Get some physical exercise. When you are stressed, your body is ready to react. This results in an enormous amount of energy. You need to diffuse that energy! A brisk walk or light jog can surprisingly help when dealing with pre-interview jitters.

Take time off from the job search. Stress impairs our ability to concentrate. Take a break and relax in order to ease stress.

Overall, managing stress requires planning ahead. Focus and creativity go a long way in offsetting the stressful job search. If you build in small rewards for yourself and become a good time-manager, you will not only relieve stress, but will become successful in your job or internship searching venture.