Are You Too Emotionally Invested in Your Job Search?

Whether you are switching careers, seeking to escape a dead-end position or just entering the employment world as a college graduate, a job search can be an extremely stressful and emotional time. You can become too emotionally invested in the process and your confidence in yourself and your abilities may suffer as a result. Here are three ways you could be sabotaging your job search or coming across as desperate to potential employers.

Questioning Your Self-Worth

If you find yourself questioning your self-worth every time you don't get an interview or hear back about a job, you are probably too emotionally invested. Just because you don't hear back from the company does not necessarily mean you were not qualified enough or not good enough. There are many reasons why a hiring manager might not pursue your candidacy.

There could have been too many applicants for the position who all had great qualifications but some had more years of experience. The company might have decided a certain skill set was needed that wasn't properly highlighted in the job description. Maybe an internal candidate was groomed for the position and had it nailed from the start. The point is, don't get down on yourself if it doesn't work out. There is always going to be another opportunity, and being too emotionally invested causes you more stress.

Obsessing or Stalking

If you find yourself obsessing about one particular job and your actions can be defined as stalking, you are definitely too emotionally invested. It's perfectly normal to want to follow up on a job opportunity that really appeals to you, but this doesn't mean calling every day to check on the job search process or sending email after email. Liking every post the hiring manager makes on Facebook or retweeting every tweet he sends is also a no-no. You want this person to take you seriously, and desperation sends the wrong message. It gives the impression that you are too available and don't have any other options. Even if this is true, you don't want the hiring manager to know it. Instead, give an impression of confidence. If you exude confidence, others will pick up on it.

Being Too Eager

You may also be too emotionally invested if you appear too eager to please. Yes, you may need a job badly, or you may be so enamored with the idea of a specific company or job that you might say whatever you think a hiring manager wants to hear. However, it's important to be yourself. If you represented yourself accurately with your application materials, that person is the one who got the interview and is the one the hiring manager wants to meet — not someone who is seen as a job beggar. During a job interview, you have the power to highlight your skills, experience and strengths in a way that the potential employer will be sold on them.

If you find yourself being too emotionally invested when searching for a job, take a step back and try to look at your actions through an unbiased lens. Don't question your self-worth, stop obsessing about a particular job and don't come across as too eager. Above all else, remember to be confident. It's your confidence that makes you shine.

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