Searching for a job is hard and research suggests it’s not getting any easier. This infosheet offers some tips on how to attend to your mental health and well-being during this challenging time.
Tips for supporting your mental health and well-being during the job search process
Acknowledge how challenging this process can be
You may want to reflect on how hopeless and dehumanizing the process can feel. The job search process often involves online applications, video screening, and AI tools that remove the person from the application. If you are feeling like your resume and cover letter don’t give an accurate or meaningful description of who you are as a person or as a professional, that is (unfortunately) normal. Consider discussing these thoughts with a trusted friend and/or journaling about it. Naming and normalizing these feelings are an important step in protecting your mental health.
Take inventory of and nurture your “protective factors”
We all have things in our lives that help protect us from hardship and increase our resilience and ability to cope with challenges. These pieces are sometimes called “protective factors”. Protective factors are things like:
- Friend and family support
- Cultural and/or religious connections
- Access to food and safe housing
- Emotional awareness/intelligence and emotional regulation
- Access to recreational activities such as sports or crafting
- Access to healthcare, including mental health services
- Sleep hygiene
CALL OUT BOX: For more information on Career Resilience, Emotional Regulation, or Sleep & Rest check out the further reading section at the end of this infosheet.
In times of stress, it is important to lean on your protective factors for support. They can help you cope and build resilience in the face of adversity3.
Seek a diverse range of support
Don’t job search alone! Job searching can feel isolating and negatively impact your mental health2. There are many people and services around you that can support you on this journey. Try to access as many of them as you can to maintain a diverse network of support that can help you in the different areas of the job search process.
- Career services on campus
- Most campuses have career counsellors that can help you with the job search process, including the associated feelings and mental health challenges that often come along with it. Even after you have graduated, many campuses allow their alumni to use their career services for a period of time (often up to 1 year after graduation).
- Career services professionals can also help you get informed on the latest hiring and application best practices. For example, many employers use AI powered screening tools. Career services professionals can show you how to strategically create applications that are optimized for these types of job postings.
- Mental health services on campus
- Talking to someone about your mental health while in the job search process can go a long way to protecting your well-being.
- Peer group
- Form a group of peers or friends that meet up virtually or in-person to job search side by side. Having someone nearby to commiserate with, trouble shoot, look over your resume, or just be next to you can be very helpful in reducing stress and maintaining your well-being.
- Accountability buddy
- Find a friend to help you stay accountable to your job search goals. For example, you can agree to message them when you complete your job search tasks for the day or week and they can follow up with you if they don’t hear from you.
- Others
- Get creative with your network of support! Pretty much everyone you meet has gone through the job search process at some point in their lives. Learning about others’ journeys may help you with yours, even if it just helps you feel less alone.
Pace yourself and settle in for the long haul
Unfortunately, the job search process can take a long time. Try not to burn yourself out by devoting an unsustainable amount of time and energy at the beginning of your search. Think about and reflect on the idea that this process may take longer than you would like, but that the length of the process is not an indication of your abilities, skills, or worth as a person. Also, everyone is different in how they search for a job. As you begin, try to evaluate and understand what your capacity is and how you can maintain it over a period of weeks/months.
Consider what is in your control
One of the reasons job search processes can be so detrimental to mental health is because so much of what happens in this process is out of your control (i.e. whether an employer responds to your application, selects you for an interview, or gives you the job). Take a moment to look at what is in your control and what is out of your control. This may help prevent you from blaming yourself for things that are beyond your control. Take a look at the further reading section for a quick worksheet that can help you visualize what is in and out of your control.
Also, it may help to try to reframe the rejections you receive in your job search. Though this is easier said than done, recognizing that each rejection or no-response is an opportunity to learn, grow, and refine your job search can help you feel less defeated throughout the process.
Set realistic goals: be flexible and gentle with yourself
Set yourself and your mental health up for success by setting achievable and realistic goals. Realistic and achievable goals also require you to be flexible with yourself if things don’t go according to plan. For example, you may set a goal to work with a friend to submit three applications a week. However, if your friend is unavailable or you are sick one week, you may not be able to submit the three applications, or even one. This is not a failure, but simply a reflection of the ever-shifting demands of life. Struggling with a job search, especially when you are juggling multiple responsibilities in your life, does not define you as a person nor does it reflect on your overall value as an individual. Be gentle with yourself when you don’t meet your goals. See the further reading section for more information on setting achievable goals.
Don’t forget to celebrate small wins! For example, submitting an application, taking the time to work on your resume, hearing back from someone (even if it’s a no), or meeting your application goal for the day/week/month is a huge and important achievement. Take the time to celebrate the hard work you are putting into this process, regardless of the outcome.
Diversify your job search tasks
Sitting alone at your computer submitting application after application is a good way to burn out and hurt your mental health in the process. Try to mix it up and engage in a wide range of “job search activities” that get you to speak with others, evaluate and reflect on your skills, and attend to your mental health and well-being. There are so many things that are important job search activities aside from completing online applications. Below is a list of a few job search activities:
- Networking
- This includes sending emails/LinkedIn messages, and meeting with people for informational interviews
- Updating your resume, cover letter, LinkedIn, or other candidate profiles
- Organizing and tracking your job search process
- Getting support
- This includes formal support such as seeing a career counsellor or therapist, and informal support such as meeting with friends to discuss how you are doing
- Attending job fairs or networking events
- Taking courses or e-learning modules to improve your skills
- Taking personality or skill aptitude tests to help you better understand your strengths and how to communicate them both written and verbally
CALL OUT BOX: For links to some of these tests, check out our further reading section at the end of this infosheet.
Consider your strengths
One of the main ways that job searching can impact your mental health is by impacting your self-esteem. Getting rejected or ghosted by employers can make people feel like they are not good enough, which can lead to low self-esteem4. Taking an intentional look at your strengths can help you improve your self-esteem and your mental health. The Further Reading section below has a worksheet that can help you identify and understand your unique strengths and abilities.
Conclusion
You are not in this alone. And remember, this process won’t go on forever.
Free course
For more information on job search and mental health, consider taking our free online course on transitioning to the workforce. Transitioning to the Workforce – CICMH Course
Further reading
Career Resilience – Thriving in the Classroom
What Can I Control? (Free Worksheet!) — Miriam Mogilevsky, LISW
Emotional Regulation – Centre for Innovation in Campus Mental Health
Impostor Phenomenon – Centre for Innovation in Campus Mental Health
Opinion: The competitive job market has detrimental effects on student mental health – The Varsity
Plan your career with the Career quizzes – Job Bank
Rest & Sleep – Centre for Innovation in Campus Mental Health
Risk and Protective Factors – Centre for Innovation in Campus Mental Health
Strengths-Based Worksheet (PDF)[SN25] [EW26]
Tips for Mental Resiliency in Your Job Search | Mohawk College
References
- Kwak Y, Kim Y, Chae H. Job search anxiety and flourishing among university students: the serial mediating effects of social support and strengths use. BMC Psychol. 2025 July 1;652(2025). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-025-02995-4
- Zimmer DM. The effect of job displacement on mental health, when mental health feeds back to future job displacement. The Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance. 2020 July 17;79(2021):360-366. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.qref.2020.07.006
- Gomez-Hombrados J, Extremera N. Emotional Intelligence, Mental Health, and Job Search Behaviors during Unemployment: The Mediating Role of Resilient Coping. Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology. 2023 July 17;39(2):101-107. https://doi.org/10.5093/jwop2023a12
- Schlachter S, Adam SH, Baxendale M, et al. Effectiveness of a three-component intervention supporting unemployed individuals with mental health issues in their job search and mental health recovery (3for1): study protocol of a non-randomized controlled study. BMC Public Health. 2024 Nov 14;3159(2024). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-024-20323-0
