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How to Overcome Your Job Search Fears, with Soma Ghosh

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Finding a new job isn’t easy, and when we experience fear, it can discourage us from even trying. How can you overcome the common fears of job hunting? You can start by clarifying why you’re seeking a change. Find Your Dream Job guest Soma Ghosh also says you need to know what your ultimate career goals are. Soma suggests taking small steps toward your goals and not allowing the fear to paralyze you. Having a supportive network of friends and colleagues can also help you overcome any fears that hold you back. 

About Our Guest:

Soma Ghosh is a career adviser, a business owner, and the host of  The Career Happiness Podcast. 

Resources in This Episode:

Transcript

Find Your Dream Job, Episode 407:

How to Overcome Your Job Search Fears, with Soma Ghosh

Airdate: July 12, 2023

Mac Prichard:

This is Find Your Dream Job, the podcast that helps you get hired, have the career you want, and make a difference in life.

I’m your host, Mac Prichard. I’m also the founder of Mac’s List. It’s a job board in the Pacific Northwest that helps you find a fulfilling career.

Every Wednesday, I talk to a different expert about the tools you need to get the work you want.

Find Your Dream Job is brought to you by TopResume. TopResume has helped more than 400,000 professionals land more interviews and get hired faster.

Get a free review of your resume today.

Go to macslist.org/topresume.

Fear can take many forms when you look for work.

And it can get the best of anybody, no matter how well qualified.

Soma Ghosh is here to talk about how to overcome your job search fears.

She’s a career adviser, a business owner, and the host of The Career Happiness Podcast.

Soma helps women who are unhappy at work find career fulfillment and advises parents on how to show their teenagers better career options.

She joins us from the city of London.   

Well, let’s get started, Soma. How typical is it for candidates to experience fear during a job search?

Soma Ghosh:

Very typical, especially now during this global recession that we’re in. Really typical, yeah.

Mac Prichard:

Could you share with us, Soma, some examples of common job search fears?

Soma Ghosh:

Yeah, there are quite a few. The main one that I am seeing quite a lot is this fear around money, and when I’m talking about money, in general, I’m talking about whether people are going to be able to have the same kind of money or salary that they had in their previous job, especially whilst they’re job hunting.

Rejection is another one. Fear of the unknown. Overthinking ends and outcomes. And comparison, especially when you’re seeing what other people are doing. But these are some of the fears, the most common ones that I see come up.

Mac Prichard:

You work with a lot of candidates. Is there one fear that comes up consistently, again and again, no matter what the background or experience of the person you’re working with?

Soma Ghosh:

Yes, definitely. The fear of rejection, Mac. And I think that’s probably because, at some point or another, we have always kind of felt maybe that when we’re looking for a new job or applying for a new job, rejection in itself comes up. Because if we’ve been in a job for a while and we’ve been out of the market, we may feel that sense of rejection because we don’t know what to expect when there’s been a gap. But, yeah, rejection is the main one that I would say.

Mac Prichard:

Okay, you’ve got some tips for how to deal with job search fears, and I want to talk about them in a moment. But one last question about people’s experiences.

Do you see differences, Soma, in job search fears during the course of a career? Is somebody likely to have one set of fears, say, at the start of their career, and a second set, perhaps, mid-career, and a third when they’re coming to a close of their time in the workplace?

Soma Ghosh:

I think it depends on the individual. I’d say at the beginning of their career. Maybe they would have, perhaps, a little bit of imposter syndrome. So that actually ties into the comparison fear. So seeing that when they are talking to other people, if people are not actually progressing, then that fear could come up, but at the beginning.

If we’re talking about mid-way, the money, and the progression. So if people are not going into management, or if they’re not actually advancing in their career, then that fear could come up, and then maybe towards the end of their career, that fear of the unknown. Because now, in a way, many people are actually continuing to work after sixty, and not all people retire necessarily. They may freelance. They may do different types of things.

So I wouldn’t necessarily say it’s fears. But I would say, perhaps, it’s different ways that people are projecting, and especially because things are changing so much with the recession and post-pandemic, as well.

Mac Prichard:

What about gender? Do you see differences in job search fears based on gender?

Soma Ghosh:

I would probably say, because I mostly work with women, I can’t speak for men here. But what I can say around some of the men who I’ve interacted with and interviewed on my podcast men tend to actually be better at asking for pay raise and promotions, and women, what the fear is, what I see actually with the fear is when it comes to actually being promoted and asking for that money, they’re not doing that. So maybe around the money piece, I would say in terms of gender, yeah.

Mac Prichard:

Okay, well, Soma, you work with a lot of candidates, and so you help people overcome these job search fears, and you’ve got a set of tips you share with them regularly. The first one is know where to begin. Tell us more about this, Soma.

Soma Ghosh:

So, when I’m talking about knowing where to begin, I think, before that, Mac, I think it’s very important that people understand their why behind what is causing them that fear and understanding their purpose behind their job hunt. Because I think, a lot of the time, people can actually not know what their why is. And when we’re talking about knowing where to begin, it’s about knowing where to start and knowing how you can do that, and especially if people aren’t liking their job and they feel exhausted by it.

But I think when we’re talking about knowing where to begin, we’re talking about the start and having a purpose and why behind it, and I would give a very, very quick example. So, for some people, if they are looking for a new job, the simple purpose is it’s their current job. They don’t like their current job, and that’s why they’re looking for a new job.

The next thing could be that they’re looking for a new job because they feel as though they’ve got to a certain level after being there for five or six years. But they want to work for a different kind of company. So in order for you to know where to begin, you need to know your why and purpose, and that’s where it kind of interlinks. But that’s the first thing that I would say.

Mac Prichard:

Tell us more about how not knowing your why, not knowing your purpose contributes to your job search fears.

Soma Ghosh:

I think it can be very, very easy when we’re looking for a new job, Mac, if you’re kind of doing it blindly, if you’re doing it out of nowhere, and you’re just endlessly, and I see this a lot with my clients. I do see this a lot with many of the women that I speak to. They tell me I’m applying for a job. And I’m like, why are you applying for a job, though? Oh, I just need a new job. And when there’s no purpose, and when there’s no why, then you’re less likely to actually get called for interviews, and I see it time and time again.

And that’s why I think it’s important to have a purpose and to have a why, and if that purpose or why is simply just getting a promotion or simply developing your skills, or simply working in a different environment, that gives you more motivation, I find. And that’s usually when people start actually getting accepted for job interviews and actually make progress. And that’s why the why is so important.

Mac Prichard:

And how does knowing your why help you either avoid or overcome the job search fears that you mentioned at the start of our conversation, the fear of rejection, not asking for more money? Tell us more about that, Soma.

Soma Ghosh:

Yeah, I think the reason why the why taps into those kinds of fears is it, I wouldn’t say that it avoids the fears. We all have fears in life, and when we’re talking about job hunting here, exclusively, if you have that why and you have that purpose, and you understand the fears that are holding you back, you have that clarity. You have that self-awareness.

For example, with a client that I was working with recently, one of her biggest fears was not just the rejection because they suffer from anxiety, as well. They were telling me they were overthinking a lot, Mac. So by them actually knowing their why, because they were gonna go into further study and have a new job, as well, it gave them that clarity of, actually, I know why I need to get a new job. And so for them, it motivated them to actually take the push to apply and get a new job, and they found a new job within less than two months.

Mac Prichard:

We’re here talking about job search fears. But what’s your best quick advice, Soma, about how to figure out your why if you’re struggling with that? How do you help your clients do that?

Soma Ghosh:

So, there’s a couple of things that I do, Mac. I think, when I’m sitting down with them, with my career advisory skills, I actually ask them, you know, when you were younger, what is it that you wanted to do? I go back a little bit.

But also, I tap into what is causing them to feel a sense of unhappiness at work. Some reason why people are feeling that lack of purpose is because usually, whatever they may be doing in their job. So that client that I was talking about, the reason why she wasn’t tapped into her purpose there is because it wasn’t tapped into her passion of mental health. And I think that’s actually the kind of career that she wanted to go into.

So when I’m sitting down with someone, it’s about looking at what their values are, and I actually do in an assessment of my clients, and that helps look at what their values are, and that helps look at what their interests are. So there’s lots of different things I do. But in a nutshell, I would say it’s about looking at what their values are and how their values align with the kind of career and job that they want.

Mac Prichard:

Terrific. We’re gonna pause right there, Soma, and take a break. Stay with us. When we come back, Soma Ghosh will continue to share her advice on how to overcome your job search fears.

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Now, let’s get back to the show.

We’re back in the Mac’s List studio. I’m talking with Soma Ghosh.

She’s a career adviser, a business owner, and the host of The Career Happiness Podcast.

Soma helps women who are unhappy at work find career fulfillment and advises parents on how to show their teenagers better career options.

She joins us from the city of London.   

Now, Soma, before our break, we were talking about some of the common fears and going through your list of tips for how to overcome those fears. The second suggestion you have on your list for overcoming job search fears is simply to get started. And I’m curious, Soma, in your work with your clients, what specific fears stop people from getting started?

Soma Ghosh:

Yeah, this is a very interesting question, and I think, again, it stems from that fear of rejection. But it’s also that self-sabotage that a lot of people have because when they’re comfortable in that job, you may worry a little bit about, if you look somewhere else, is the environment gonna be the same. Will my application be up to scratch?

And a lot of the concerns that I get from my clients often are that, oh, you know, I’m not in touch with LinkedIn, or I’m not in touch with the current recruitment firms that are out there. And they often let this fear stop them from even getting started or stop them from even applying for jobs, Mac, and getting started.

Mac Prichard:

So, how do you get started? How do you prevent it? And some people might want to work on their LinkedIn pages for a long time, for example. What helps people overcome the fears you just outlined?

Soma Ghosh:

Yeah, I think, firstly, it’s about taking small steps. So, I gave LinkedIn as an example, but LinkedIn can feel very overwhelming straight away. So the first thing that I would advise is maybe to have a look at just refreshing your CV, and if you need support with that, then talk to a career advisor or career coach, like myself, to help you with that. That’s the first thing I would say.

But the other thing I would say is in terms of helping them to get started, as well, is to actually just look at the potential jobs that are out there that fit your skills, fit your experience, and then do it step by step. Take baby steps to get there. And then do your LinkedIn, and then make sure that you’re reaching out to recruiters. So, have a kind of little mini plan, is what I would say, Mac. And that’s what I do with my clients to help motivate them and to really, really help them getting started because it all starts with the little steps.

Mac Prichard:

Tell us more about what that plan might look like. In the first segment, for example, you talked about the importance of knowing your why and not just applying to jobs because you’re unhappy in your current position but figuring out what it is, your purpose, and where you actually want to go, not escape from.

The second element you just outlined is getting started, taking specific steps. What are the other parts that you, when putting together a plan like this, you encourage your clients to take?

Soma Ghosh:

So I think also, they need to think about going out of their comfort zone, and that’s where I talk a little bit more about taking risks. So when I’m talking about taking risks, there are sometimes jobs that I see with my clients where they won’t apply to because they think that’s quite managerial. Well, this isn’t for me. But I actually encourage them to take risks because sometimes they will get that job, and that job is gonna encourage the personal growth and the development that they’re looking for. And I think that’s the first thing that I would say.

The second thing I would say, as well, is for them to understand that how is that risk going to help them pay off into where they’re going to go next in their career. So if they’re in mid-management and they don’t want to be in main management, but they want to do something where they’re actually looking after a team and being a team manager. Then what can they do to actually allow that to happen?

So have a goalpost of where it is. Maybe they want to be in two years’ time. And those are some of the things that I actually do when I’m working with a client.

Mac Prichard:

Tell us more about how getting clarity about where you want to go next in your career helps risks seem more manageable.

Soma Ghosh:

Yeah, so once people understand what their why is, and once they understand what those values are, that I was talking about at the beginning, it actually allows them to potentially understand their future, so if somebody knows that they want to continue within a certain profession, and HR is a profession that comes up a lot with my clients.

When I’m working with them, they understand that taking risks actually due to the qualifications in the UK. That qualification is the CIPD qualification in HR. Then once they actually understand what it is that they want to do, if they then want to go into management or they then want to actually expand on that, in a few years, what will then happen is, they’ll be able to fulfill that as an ambition and they’ll be able to understand where they want to go.

But also, maybe their ideas around success might change. It could change possibly. But it’s also about them understanding that their flexibility around that is gonna allow them to have that deeper purpose and why and continue to develop within their career.

Mac Prichard:

And how does that help reduce fear when you get that clarity about those next specific goals in your career?

Soma Ghosh:

I mean, I think partly with the fear, like when I was mentioning the fear of money, of rejection, fear of the unknown, overthinking, and comparison. There will always be almost an element of it, some form or another, and I’m gonna be honest by saying that because that comes up in my clients.

But the other thing I want to say is the way that it reduces it, having this plan, knowing what your why is, knowing what your purpose is, is that you are then gonna be able to march on despite that. Because I think the deepest thing that people need to realize when they’re job hunting is that that is actually where you learn. That is actually where you build your resilience, and then you’re able to help and support other people in the workplace and work as a team. But also work with other people.

And so, in terms of diminishing your fears, the fears may always be there a little bit, but it’s about doing it anyway and making sure that you’re working through that to allow yourself to not stop the fears from finding the job that you really, really want.

Mac Prichard:

You mentioned earlier, perhaps, working with a coach in both building this plan and carrying it forward. Can friends and colleagues also help in this process, Soma?

Soma Ghosh:

Yes, definitely. Friends and colleagues can definitely help if you have a supportive manager or a team that you can help, and we’re doing this on a podcast, Mac, and there are some amazing, amazing podcasts like yours which are giving brilliant advice to support people, especially people in these times who may not have financial access. That is very important to mention here because everybody is coming from a different place, and I talk a lot about that on my podcast, and I think it’s very important that we always mention that.

Mac Prichard:

Well, terrific. It’s been a great conversation, Soma. Now, tell us, what’s next for you?

Soma Ghosh:

So in terms of what’s next for me, I basically, I have my own podcast, The Career Happiness Podcast, and I talk about various different things on there. Not necessarily just to do with happiness, but also around business and different things.

And I think the next thing that I’m kind of working on is, I’m gonna be doing a lot more stuff around podcasting, but I’m also going to be working with more of my clients and also creating workshops later this year. But, yeah. That’s a little bit more about what I’m doing in 2023.

Mac Prichard:

Great. Well, I know that listeners can learn more about you and your services by visiting your website, somaghosh.com, and that you also invite listeners to connect with you on LinkedIn, and if they do reach out, I hope they’ll mention they heard you on Find Your Dream Job.

Now, Soma, given all the great advice you’ve shared today, what’s the one thing you want a listener to remember about how to overcome your job search fears?

Soma Ghosh:

Do not let anybody stop you from applying for a job. So, for example, if you see a job that you know is a job that you want to do, don’t let negative words or negative feedback stop you from applying for that job. Apply for it, and don’t allow any of those to decline you from the kind of career you want. That’s what I would say.

Mac Prichard:

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Next week, our guest will be Mpume Ncube-Daka.

She’s a coach, a podcast host, and the founder and CEO of About Change Conversations.

Her company enhances your competencies across your career and helps organizations bring out your best capabilities.

You’re ready to leave your old profession and move into a new field.

How do you persuade employers in your new sector that you’ve got the right mix of skills and experience?

Join us next Wednesday when Mpume Ncube-Daka and I talk about how to sell yourself in a job interview when changing careers.

Until next time, thanks for letting us help you find your dream job.

This show is produced by Mac’s List.

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Our sound engineer is Matt Fiorillo. Ryan Morrison at Podfly Productions edits the show. Dawn Mole creates our transcripts. And our music is by Freddy Trujillo.

This is Mac Prichard. See you next week.