Making your job search work for your neurodivergent brain

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The job search process is a difficult one for most of us. The stress of uncertainty and inevitable rejection can be especially hard for neurodivergent brains who tend to thrive with consistency and predictability. All of this can make it hard to get started and maintain momentum. If you’re relating to this, know that you’re not alone and there are ways to make the job search process feel more easeful.

In this article, I’ll share several suggestions for how to make your job search less stressful and more sustainable. These strategies come from what I’ve seen work for my neurodivergent coaching clients as well as for myself. I’ll also include a few reflection questions to help you think further about your own process.

Challenges with the job search process can vary from person to person, but if you’re reading this article you may be thinking of particular challenges that come up often for you. I invite you to first think about what those are. What really gets in the way of you feeling better about your job search? With that in mind, let’s see if any of the following ideas resonate for you.

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Getting Started

Often just knowing how to get started with the job search is an obstacle. The job search process asks a lot of our executive functioning and it makes sense that neurodivergent brains will find this challenging. Here are some ways that can help with easing into the process.

• Designing your ideal work day: Find out what days and times make the most sense for you to work on job search tasks. You can also think about what environments are the most supportive for you to be able to focus. You might consider what amount of time in a single stretch allows you to stay focused. Once you have an idea of how your ideal day could look, you can set aside or schedule that dedicated time if that works for you. For some neurodivergent brains, having a routine or structure in place can feel grounding, while for others it can feel limiting so tuning into what feels best for you is key.
• Staying aware of energy levels: For many, creating your routine with your energy levels or spoons in mind is helpful. There may be certain days or times of the day where you’re best at reaching out to people to network, while other times you notice that your mind thrives at reflection and brainstorming. Some days your energy to process new information may be low, but it’s a great time to focus on writing cover letters. Checking in with yourself throughout the day can help with making the most of your energy needs.
• Exploring tools for productivity: Knowing what to work on is another part of the process and involves prioritizing and organizing. There are many tools that can help with this, and I’ve linked a resource below for you to explore. Strategies include things like setting a timer for yourself to work on a particular task or breaking down a big task into smaller steps. This part of the process is about experimenting to see what works for you.

For reflection:

• What tools and strategies already work for you in other parts of your life that could transfer to your job search process?

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Keeping going

Getting started is a huge win and deserves to be celebrated. Being able to keep going with the job search process is another challenge that can come up and there are ways to navigate this as well. Here are a few suggestions that can help with sustaining energy and motivation.

• Celebrating progress along the way: It can be easy to want to only celebrate ourselves when we get the outcome we want, i.e. getting a job, but celebrating each step along the way helps to keep up morale. Even when you don’t hear back from a job you applied for, you’re still awesome for taking all those steps to get that far. Recognizing this and focusing on your progress rather than a specific outcome helps to build up the courage and motivation to continue.
• Making your job search fun: Some things I’ve seen people do to add in more fun and engagement are gamifying their tasks, or sandwiching job search tasks with something enjoyable before and after. This helps with having something to look forward to which lightens stress, while gamifying tasks activates the release of dopamine which increases motivation.
• Taking Breaks: Taking breaks from job searching and engaging in enjoyable activities is just as much a part of your job search as any other activity. Rest is vital as it fuels your energy and keeps this work sustainable, preventing job search burnout. I have found that sometimes I will need to take several days off to focus on other things in order to recharge and refresh my brain.
• Keeping Self-Compassion in mind: If you’re like most people, being hard on yourself comes much more easily than practicing self-kindness. Research shows however that practicing self-compassion has loads of positive benefits for our minds and bodies, including lowering stress and increasing motivation. Next time you notice self-critical thoughts show up, see if you can catch yourself and take a moment to think about what you might say to a close friend in the same situation. Then, try it out on yourself and see how you feel.

For Reflection:

• What’s working well this week in your job search process?
• What, if anything, do you want to do differently next week?
• What is one small way that you can be just 1% kinder to yourself this week?

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External support

We all need support sometimes and finding supportive people or groups who can encourage and cheer us on can help lighten the load. If you don’t yet have supports in mind, you can ask yourself, where or with whom do I feel most like myself? This can clue you in to where you might find support.

Support can also come from other various sources of inspiration and motivation. Maybe you have a favorite uplifting podcast, music or book that you find encouraging. Leaning into these is a way to provide ourselves with some extra help especially when morale is running low.

Some people find that a more structured form of support is best. For example, having an accountability friend to check in with at a certain time and day can be useful. For those of us coping with RSD throughout the job process or other challenges like feeling anxious or down, working with a coach or therapist may be the best way forward.

For Reflection:

•  Is there a part of your job search that you could use support with? If so, what might that look like?
•  What is keeping you from getting that support?

Seeing this list, you may realize that what you thought was in your way is something completely different. Or you may be inspired to look further into one area that could help. I encourage you to try one thing at a time as this helps with making a new habit stick.

What kinds of things have helped you in your job search? Please feel free to share below.

Resource for productivity and prioritization: https://www.todoist.com/productivity-methods

References

Feldman, S. (n.d.). Gamification at work: The neuroscience of productivity and enjoyment. Wharton Neuroscience Initiative. https://neuro.wharton.upenn.edu/community/gamification-at-work/

Neff, K. (n.d.). What is self-compassion? Self-Compassion.org. https://self-compassion.org/what-is-self-compassion/