How to avoid job-search burnout

FOR many people, job-hunting has to be treated like a full-time occupation - an all-too-necessary approach that can come with its own version of burnout.

- ANDREW SEAMAN

Researchers have termed the exhaustion from back-to-back work engagements as “meeting hangover” - and this phenomenon isn’t just limited to people with traditional nine-to-five jobs. Job seekers, especially those focusing on networking, are just as vulnerable, according to Steven Rogelberg, a professor at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte who studies workplace meetings.

Rogelberg suggests structuring your day with intention. Instead of sprinkling meetings throughout the day, cluster them in the morning or afternoon, or around a natural break like lunch. And be sure to leave at least 10 to 15 minutes between meetings to recover and prepare. Your brain will thank you.

Smarter networking

Some job-seekers feel guilty if they’re not constantly sending outreach messages or filling their calendar with calls. But Rogelberg believes that it’s quality, not quantity, that matters.

Focusing on quality and your own schedule can also help your success rate when it comes to setting up chats. “As crazy as it sounds, try to keep these requests to just 10 minutes so as to decrease load and increase positive responses,” says Rogelberg. “It’s very hard to say no to a 10-minute request.”