HBR Guide to Your Job Search

CHAPTER 5

Managing the Emotional Roller Coaster of a Job Search

by Rebecca Zucker

While a job search can be a time of excitement and hope about new opportunities to come, it can also be a time of great uncertainty and anxiety. Not only will you probably feel the full range of possible emotions during your search, but you may also experience these highs and lows in the span of a single day or week. You might be elated one moment to learn that you are a top candidate for a desired position, only to be disappointed to find out that the job went to someone else. Or perhaps you were unhappy with your performance in a job interview but were later relieved to learn you’ve still made it to the next round of interviews.

The job search process is fraught ...