Tips for staying motivated while job hunting during a pandemic

If you have recently graduated, chances are you are currently spending your days more or less relentlessly browsing job search websites. Here are a few tips to help you not despair and end up a young, grumpy misanthrope.

First, do bear in mind: your first job does not have to be THE perfect job - you are not signing on a job for life! For now, it is all about gaining valuable experience and getting a foot in the door. It would however be good if you were somewhat aligned with the values of the translation agencies you are applying to.

Also, don’t take rejections personally and don’t let them shatter your self-confidence. You hold a degree and have years of studying behind you and know so much more than you give yourself credit for. So stand tall :) 

An easy way to make the writing applications process more “fun” (I may or may not be stretching the definition of ‘fun’ here a bit) is to do it whilst listening to your favourite album or a good podcast. If you still feel that you are slowly getting frustrated with the world, take a break from your laptop, go for a walk, treat yourself to a creamy hot chocolate, or ring a friend and vent away. I for example have set the rule for myself to spend the day out whenever the sun shines and only go on my laptop once it is dark outside, which seems quite reasonable in winter times. When every day just seems the same, it can also be helpful to allocate fixed hours to your job search e.g. 9am-5pm to maintain some semblance of normalcy.

And most importantly, remember; we are in the midst of a pandemic and the job market is very tight, so it is more than okay not to be employed straight out of university and struggle to find work. In the words of A. L. Williams: All You Can Do Is All You Can Do, But All You Can Do Is Enough! 

Elise G. Wolff