# Job Hunting Anxiety



## seaport (Sep 19, 2010)

Hi all,

I recently completed a B.A. but have no work experience outside of some volunteer work. I have a resume and cover letter prepared (and two of my professors agreed to be my references) but I am absolutely terrified at the prospect of looking for work. I graduated Dec 15th and have put off job-hunting until now because I feel utterly overwhelmed at the thought of face-to-face interviews, and waiting anxiously for phone calls (and potential phone interviews). I feel like I'm going to fail because (at 25!) I am so inexperienced with the whole process. 

I've also never learned how to drive due to my anxiety and I'm scared that this will be a deal breaker for any potential employers. I'm mainly looking for secretarial/administrative assistant positions to start out -- but I'm having such a hard time actually getting started because of my fears.

Do you guys have any useful tips on how to overcome job-hunting-related anxiety? How did you (if you're employed) get through it? And if you're currently working in a secretarial position -- were you ever asked to drive somewhere to pick something up, etc.?


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## Lizzie Lee (Dec 30, 2014)

seaport said:


> Hi all,
> 
> I recently completed a B.A. but have no work experience outside of some volunteer work. I have a resume and cover letter prepared (and two of my professors agreed to be my references) but I am absolutely terrified at the prospect of looking for work. I graduated Dec 15th and have put off job-hunting until now because I feel utterly overwhelmed at the thought of face-to-face interviews, and waiting anxiously for phone calls (and potential phone interviews). I feel like I'm going to fail because (at 25!) I am so inexperienced with the whole process.
> 
> ...


Hi Seaport. First, congratulations on your degree. You should be proud of yourself to have such an accomplishment! Good for you!
How did you get back and forth to school, if you never learned how to drive. Did you live on campus?
Also, most colleges offer job placement assistance and help, and usually in those departments they have opportunities for practice interviews so they can assess you and give you advice on where you can improve.
When you do find a job, how do you plan on getting there? Do you have a parent to drive you, or were you planning on taking the bus?
I have worked in secretarial/assistant positions before, and yes, a few of them would ask me go out and run some errands for them. Since this is something you know you can't do, just ask during the interview process if leaving the facility to run errands will ever be part of the job. Then just explain to them your situation (that you ride share or something). Most likely it will be no big deal if this is not part of the job requirement.


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## Snowman 23 (Jun 8, 2014)

Since you have no work experience, you're gonna have to tout your volunteer experience somehow. Figure out how to make your contributions sound good and figure out if you learned/honed any transferable skills. You also have to try to prepare answers to common interview questions. Are there problems/situations you've handled in the past that put you in a good light? Interviewing is all about making your "sales pitch," so u have to think about all the good stuff you can say about yourself. When you come up with it, keep reminding yourself of it so that it can boost your confidence. You need to look and sound confident in order for companies to wanna hire you, so u really need to convince yourself that you'd be a good hire. 

As for the job hunting anxiety, I was in the same place when I graduated last year. I had zero real experience, had a tremendous fear of interviewing, and felt too discouraged to put much effort into the job hunt. It kind of gets better after you have had tons of interviews- that's really the only way to get rid of the interview phobia. After you fail some, you learn to relax a little and be more natural. It's the fear of failing that really causes us to fail. This is the biggest obstacle for those of us with SA.

You should go and see if your college has career counseling services. If yes, you can schedule mock interviews and stuff. Also, if your school has a job engine for current students and alumni, take advantage of that. I think it is likely to have many more entry-level job opportunities than regular job boards (It is that way with my school, anyway. I get so many more replies from applying there than applying elsewhere.)


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## seaport (Sep 19, 2010)

Lizzie Lee said:


> Hi Seaport. First, congratulations on your degree. You should be proud of yourself to have such an accomplishment! Good for you!
> How did you get back and forth to school, if you never learned how to drive. Did you live on campus?
> Also, most colleges offer job placement assistance and help, and usually in those departments they have opportunities for practice interviews so they can assess you and give you advice on where you can improve.
> When you do find a job, how do you plan on getting there? Do you have a parent to drive you, or were you planning on taking the bus?
> I have worked in secretarial/assistant positions before, and yes, a few of them would ask me go out and run some errands for them. Since this is something you know you can't do, just ask during the interview process if leaving the facility to run errands will ever be part of the job. Then just explain to them your situation (that you ride share or something). Most likely it will be no big deal if this is not part of the job requirement.


Yes, I usually take public transportation to places or have a parent drop me off. Thank you so much for your advice -- I checked online and the career services office at my old university is offering mock interview sessions late this month. I will most definitely be going!


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## seaport (Sep 19, 2010)

Snowman 23 said:


> Since you have no work experience, you're gonna have to tout your volunteer experience somehow. Figure out how to make your contributions sound good and figure out if you learned/honed any transferable skills. You also have to try to prepare answers to common interview questions. Are there problems/situations you've handled in the past that put you in a good light? Interviewing is all about making your "sales pitch," so u have to think about all the good stuff you can say about yourself. When you come up with it, keep reminding yourself of it so that it can boost your confidence. You need to look and sound confident in order for companies to wanna hire you, so u really need to convince yourself that you'd be a good hire.
> 
> As for the job hunting anxiety, I was in the same place when I graduated last year. I had zero real experience, had a tremendous fear of interviewing, and felt too discouraged to put much effort into the job hunt. It kind of gets better after you have had tons of interviews- that's really the only way to get rid of the interview phobia. After you fail some, you learn to relax a little and be more natural. It's the fear of failing that really causes us to fail. This is the biggest obstacle for those of us with SA.
> 
> You should go and see if your college has career counseling services. If yes, you can schedule mock interviews and stuff. Also, if your school has a job engine for current students and alumni, take advantage of that. I think it is likely to have many more entry-level job opportunities than regular job boards (It is that way with my school, anyway. I get so many more replies from applying there than applying elsewhere.)


Thank you so much for your reply -- these are great tips. I'm going to try my best not to take this as a life-or-death situation. Instead, I'm going to approach my first interviews as learning experiences and go from there.


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## Lizzie Lee (Dec 30, 2014)

seaport said:


> you so much for your advice -- I checked online and the career services office at my old university is offering mock interview sessions late this month. I will most definitely be going!


 That's awesome! Good for you for checking into it, and deciding to do it! I think it will be immensely helpful for you. They are there to help you afterall, not make you feel bad....some constructive criticism is good for all of us sometimes. :boogie
Good luck!


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## seaport (Sep 19, 2010)

*Update:* So, after applying for a couple of positions, I received two interview requests. The first was for a Call Center job. I prepared answers to likely questions and practiced delivering them. I felt ALOT of anxiety the night before my interview -- I was unable to sleep and experienced muscle tension and shaking -- but the actual interview wasn't very scary at all! Preparing and practicing beforehand really helped and I was able to get through the process fairly well. I didn't get the job, but it was a valuable experience for me.

When my second interview (for an assistant position at a college) came around, I was considerably less anxious about it. I prepared and practiced beforehand just like I did with my first interview -- and although I don't think I gave an uber-amazing interview (I was definitely a little nervous and flustered), I was more relaxed.

I actually received a job offer for the position yesterday! I'm really happy -- it's a part-time (and potentially temporary) job but its a REAL, paying position -- and who knows? It may be a stepping stone to a better job in the future.


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