The Job Search Grind [Quick Overview + Key Findings]

In March 2008, the national unemployment rate was 4.8%. By January 2010, it had risen to a high of 10.6% and, in September 2010, still hovered at 9/2%. In Nevada, the state I live in, unemployment is above 14%. Because of such high unemployment, most of us know someone who is currently looking for a job.

A recent study entitled “The Job Search Grind,” published in The Academy of Management Journal, sheds some light on the experience of people involved in the job search process. This well-designed study followed 233 unemployment insurance recipients who were actively seeking work every day for three weeks.

Study Overview

The main purpose of the study was to examine the job search experience of unemployed individuals and identify the common challenges they faced. The researchers focused on unemployment insurance recipients to get a real view of how people look for jobs, especially during the economic downturn.

The participants were followed for 3 weeks to gain insights into their daily life and emotional states.

Key Findings of The Study

Here are some of the critical findings of the study

• 44% of job seekers spend less than 10 hours a week on job searches
• 20% spent 25 hours a week searching for jobs 

So, why do people spend so little time searching for jobs when they need them? Let’s examine a few reasons.

Reasons for Spending Limited Job Search Hours

There are several explanations for individuals spending little time searching for a job, including discouragement, perceived progress, and simply using the time to pursue other interests. The study had four additional findings that I found interesting:

Emotional Impact of Job Searching

Another interesting finding revealed by the study is that when individuals make little progress on a job search, it negatively affects their mood.

This impacted their confidence level, and people felt very low the next day when they couldn’t land a good job. So they performed even lower on the subsequent days.

Another factor that mattered in the frequency of job searches was financial difficulties. For example, individuals who were financially stable undertook the process differently than those who were struggling financially. When the latter side couldn’t land a job, they became more negative and did not make significant job search progress later.

Unique Challenges Faced by Financially Strained Individuals

Looking for jobs can be overwhelming for people who are stressed due to financial difficulties. The stress of the job search adds to their financial stress, making it even harder to remain focused and motivated.

Moreover, another research finding was that people set a perceived progress level every time they said they were sitting to do the job search. This perceived progress was directly related to the time and effort they spent looking for a job the next day. The more progress they made, the more time they spent the next day. Hence: 

1. When individuals reported lower job search progress on any given day, it affected their mood (more negative, less positive) and lowered their confidence about their chances of finding a job.
2. The ability to manage negative thoughts matters. Lower mood on any given day was related to more effort the following day, but only for those who could disengage from negative thoughts. For individuals who could not disengage from negative thoughts, lower mood on any day resulted in less search effort the following day.
3. Individuals with financial hardship experience the job search process differently. The study found that economic hardship strengthened the negative effects of low search progress and weakened the positive impact of high search progress.
4. The more (less) progress people made on any given day, the less (more) time they invested in job search the next day.

Being unemployed and looking for a job is not only hard work, but it can also be a roller coaster ride of emotions. People who are experiencing financial hardship and have a hard time managing their emotions will experience the job search process the hardest.

Strategies for Effective Job Search

Here are some strategies that work:

Set Realistic Goals

To deal with the emotional stress of job search, set realistic goals!

Set up a timeline you can commit to for your job search. This way, you can better structure your day and be courageous enough to pursue the goal rather than being discouraged by perceived progress.

Set a Routine

Setting up a routine is another great strategy. This way, job search becomes a daily habit, and individuals looking for jobs can manage their emotions. Of course, there will be periods of feeling low when the efforts don’t lead to results, but still, it gives you a framework to stay consistent.

Treating Daily Progress as “Noise”

Finally, learn to ignore the voice that comes to your head. Perceived progress, whether good or bad, is not an indicator of your success or failure. Focus on the effort rather than the outcome and stay motivated.

Setting realistic goals for the daily time spent in the search process and sticking to those daily goals regardless of the perceived progress on any given day should help. Making the job search a daily routine won’t alleviate the roller coaster of emotions, but it should help with the management of those emotions, especially for those who have a harder time with negative thoughts.

Wrap Up

Job searching is a tough task, and looking for a job during the economic downturn is especially challenging and nerve-wracking. 

The best approach is to acknowledge the emotions and pressures that come with unemployment, which affects both job seekers and their supporters. By adopting strategies like setting realistic goals and creating and following a daily routine, we can navigate the job search process with better motivation. 

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Bret L. Simmons, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor of Management at The University of Nevada, Reno. He earned his doctorate in Business Administration at Oklahoma State University. Bret blogs about leadership and social business at his website Positive Organizational Behavior. You can also find him on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.