Setting boundaries with the job market like a dating app, dealing with social burnout, invest in yourself.

There’s often so much talk about setting boundaries in multiple areas of our lives including our dating lives and friendships. So why do we treat the job market like a desperate text back?

Here are some ways to use the same boundaries you would use a dating app, in the job market to protect your mental health and stop over-functioning: 

Step 1: Identify Your Career Non-negotiables

Before logging on to the whirlwind of the job market, outline your career non-negotiables standards beforehand.

Identify the work boundaries you want e.g.  maximum weekly client hours, evening/weekend availability, and mandatory supervision or admin time .

Once you think of your deal breakers treat them as seriously as you in dating (or any other boundary related decision) because they very much can easily impact your personal life so doing this early is easier than trying to break the pattern later.

Step 2: Pay Attention to What’s Being Said 

Just as you might side-eye someone who says: “I want a partner who does  inserts ridiculous expectations ” —-> You also should side-eye or at least ask for clarity when job descriptions require you to “wear many hats" or thrive in a "fast-paced environment."

These phrases can be warning signs of chronic understaffing, which can lead you to over-functioning and zero work-life balance

Step 3: Set Boundaries by Taking Breaks

Have you ever gone on many dates (or swiped on matches), became so frustrated, then decided you’ll never find someone? Maybe later you  realized that you just needed to take a break instead of predicting your romantic fate.

Well sending out job applications can easily feel like a doomsday search, especially if no one is responding or if no jobs you see are meeting your needs. But if you set limits on how many applications you submit per week or even take a break every three months.

By doing this you also reduce decision fatigue and the chance of rushing into a toxic environment out of desperation or just to escape a current one.

Step 4: Expect To Be Ghosted Therefore Detach From The Outcome

Who would've thought that the ghosting patterns commonly experienced in dating could be worse or equal to the application process on the job market ?

To protect yourself from emotional distress, detach yourself from the outcome and use a “apply and move on” mindset.

And most of all, apply to as many jobs as possible, once they align with your overall goals. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket, waiting for a company to call back.

(Stay tuned for more tips next month)