For many people, maybe even you, job search burnout is real.

A recent study by the Pew Research Center found that half of adult job seekers in the USA are pessimistic about their prospects for a new job. A survey by the Pew Research Center found that about half of US adults looking for a job are pessimistic about their prospects for future employment.

In this episode, Sarah talks about factors that contribute to job search burnout and some practical tips you can put into practice right now to help you manage and minimize this in your life.

2:07: The Pew Research Center survey said that 53% of people said they felt like they almost lost a piece of their identity during their job hunt. And 56% of people said that they've experienced more anxiety and depression and other mental health issues during a job search.

2:48: Burnout has a ripple effect.

3:31: It's really important to get clear about the things that you can control and the things that you know you can't control.

5:20: You have the control to either apply to multiple jobs every single day, which can add up to hundreds over the course of a job search. Or you cannot play the numbers game and take that approach.

5:44: You can control the quality of relationships and interactions that you're having on LinkedIn and social media and elsewhere.

6:36: Who you listen to for advice and wisdom that's within your control.

7:11: You can't control the quality of job descriptions that are out there.

9:54: There might be some truth to this whole law of attraction thing about how positive thoughts bring positive results to your life and negative thoughts bring negative things to your life.

11:06: Edit who you listen to and who you let influence you.

13:44: Put it on your calendar so you're more intentional about it so that there is a specific time frame around it.

14:20: Have a plan for why you're using social media in your job search.

16:58: Before you jump to conclusions, you have to consider the context.

20:33: A lot of times candidates fixate on this idea of ghosting in the job search.

22:28: Recap our tips for job search burnout.

🎬 Watch our free UX Job Search Workshop and learn how to stand out in 2025

👉 Join Career Strategy Lab, a UX job search accelerator for UX and Product people.

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