Job Hunting for the socially anxious and depressed

Hello,
I am new to pyschcentral. I look forward to reading more of this forum to hear how others with depression and anxiety are coping with job hunting in this economy. It really is difficult for me as someone who has problems with motivation, confidence and optimism....to look for work when the job market appears to be so challenging.
-Hikin

Hellow hikinrock and welcome to PC!

You ask a very interesting and pertenient question that I wish had an easy answer like take 2 asprin and call me in the morning.

Those of us who have these issues really struggle with it. Other people must think of us as lazy, at least that is what I feel like. Though I know it isn't the case for me. Lack of motivation is the hardest when I'm in my funk. One thing that has helped me is to start doing something that I really enjoy. Then that spreads over other things in my life.

I'm pulling for all of us with this issue. Keep coming back, PC is great.

welcome to pc, hikinrock! glad u found us.
i find anything i do works better with a list of priorities. since you suffer from the same things i do, here's what i feel may help you.
to help you overcome how you're feeling an asset list will help. things that you know about yourself that are good selling points for becoming employed. i know, it's not as easy when you feel down, but make every effort to do this. you will need this list later.
make a goal of how many contacts you will make every day. follow thru and don't allow yourself to get discouraged. do the goal set number.
before you have an interview/or apply read your asset list. this will remind you of how marketable you are. this can include-helpful, on time with tasks, friendly, good work history, etc.your interview will reflect how upbeat you are.
you might even want to have some letters from previous employers of their comments about you to put with your application or resume. i'm not sure of the work you can do but bragging rights are ok.
before you approach the propective employer, take a deeeep breath and slowly let it out. this will help the anxiety level.
follow up with all contacts/interviews you do. usually 3 days is good. if they haven't hired anyone yet this may give you the advantage.
network thru friends who may know who is hiring.
walk into any store and ask who is the manager. then see if he is available to chat with you for a few, it's an informal how-de-do.
but the most important thing i can say, imho, is that you get your head set in the right direction. give yourself permission to feel discouraged when you get home but while out, put on a smile, read your asset list, and put your best foot forward!!! a positive image goes far.
for every no you get, know that the odds are gaining in your favor for a yes!
now u ask how do i know these things...my background is in upper corporate management. i hired ppl all the time. your background will certainly "get you in the door" but your attitude will "make the sale"!!! good luck and i hope this helps you!
ps sorry for the long post...i got carried away

Hi hikin, we chatted earlier... there is some good stuff here... you're prob young enough not to have thought of this, but AARP.org website actually offers a huge amount of helpful info... I know its targeted for folks over 50 but it's very relevant to anyone making a new start... surprising what you can find. good luck

hikinrock, there was a time I was trying to find a new job and make a career change and was pretty depressed. I made it a "must" that I do at least one thing each day to help me find a job. It couldn't be something passive like surfing the web for job opportunities. It had to somehow involve another person, such as contacting a colleague or acquaintance to bounce ideas off of or to ask to introduce me to someone he/she knew, etc. I had to call the person or email or meet in person. Or apply for a job. That counted too. Just one thing a day seemed hard but doable. And then I could check off each day that I had done something.

I'm pretty shy, so the hardest thing is networking and talking to others and asking for their help or advice, especially when I don't know them that well. But I just had to force myself. People are often very interested in sharing their expertise with you, and advice, and their contacts. People often like to be helpful. I took a job search class about a year ago and one thing they said was to look upon everyone as a possible source of a good lead or new direction. Not just the people in that field or your contacts. But everyone. The mailman. Your dogsitter. The grocery store checkout clerk. The person you sit next to on the bus. You never know who knows who or has exactly the contact you need to get your foot in the door at a company you have never even heard of that is perfect for you. In the course they talked about casting a very wide net in one's networking efforts. The bigger the circle of people who know about you and your job search, the better your chances of finding a job.

Best of luck!

Thank you for saying hello and the welcome. That is such a good reminder and has worked for me in the past as well to start with things you enjoy. TY for reminder!

omigoodness - such good ideas and encouraging ideas!!! thank you

thank you also sunrise...ohmigoodness so much support and ideas from you 3...i really appreciate it

try to stay positive, hopefully you have a roof over your head.