When starting a job search, a job seeker first thinks about what salary he wants and what field of activity he prefers to work in. When reviewing proposals, many employers begin to drop out for the wrong reason - for fear of not meeting the title of specialist for a particular organization.
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Fear of the new team
It's almost always difficult to get along with new people.
And it’s doubly difficult if these people are your new work team. What are they saying behind your back? What do they think of you? Do they notice every oversight and every mistake? Do they gossip and discuss your clumsiness and mistakes? It is very difficult to become part of an established, close-knit team. And the thought that you will have to be a stranger and a black sheep in a new “work family” for a long time can poison the joy of the most wonderful, prestigious and highly paid job. Here two points usually come to the fore. Firstly, the fear of change, which is common to many people with the anal vector. They see new people, like everything new in general, as a threat, a source of danger, an unknown and therefore frightening factor from which you don’t know what to expect. Secondly, visual self-doubt and increased sensitivity to the opinions of others, which inflates fear of the new team.
A couple of years ago, the company I worked for was facing massive downsizing. My colleague Anton simply panicked at this prospect. What can I say if he was clearly afraid to look for a job, let alone change it. When he sent his resume, his hands were shaking, you could hear it from the way he nervously clicked his mouse. And when they called him about an interview, his face simply changed... “How will I work there? I don't know anyone there! And this is a completely different end of Moscow!” — he complained hysterically after another interview.
Another colleague, Nina, fell into depression after being told about the layoff and even sobbed at times in front of her computer monitor. “I’m so used to you all... How will I work with strangers?” - she said through tears. At the same time, her heart rate increased, her palms sweated, and headaches began. The fear of a new job completely ruined her last days in our friendly team...
I'm afraid to go to work
My friend Olya worked for several years as a manicurist in a small private hairdresser.
And then she suddenly decided that it was time for her to grow up, and went to a massage course, after which they promised to place her in a large health center. At first, Olya was fired up by this idea and seemed to be glad about this turn of fate, but the closer the day of receiving her diploma approached, the sadder my friend became. In the end, she admitted that she was afraid to go to work: after the small salon, the health center seemed terribly scary to her. She almost stopped eating, and at night she dreamed of dissatisfied clients making scandals and disgracing her in front of her new colleagues. The fear of failing at work, making mistakes, doing something wrong, or looking ridiculous became her obsession. It got to the point that when she thought about work, her blood pressure would rise, her palms would sweat, and she would feel short of breath. Alas, Olya never got over this fear and still files other people’s nails in her small salon, and her massage therapist diploma gathers dust among old postcards and documents. At the same time, she is a really good massage therapist, as her friends and family, who have experienced the skill of her hands, have long been convinced of.
This skill could have been appreciated by other people if she had not been so afraid of becoming part of a new team.
Fear four. Interviews, communication with recruiters
The fear of public speaking is one of the greatest after the fear of death. And even if there is only one listener, it can be so difficult to control emotions, not get nervous, speak calmly and not blush. For some, interviews seem so scary that they prefer to stay in a job they don’t like, saying, no, thank you, I’ve already been through this, I don’t want to do it anymore.
But without an interview, communication with HR or a potential employer, getting a job is completely impossible.
What to do:
- Realize that your fear is a problem and get rid of it. It prevents you from living and developing. It shouldn't be this way.
- Fear can also arise from a lack of experience. If you are not confident in yourself, gain experience. Speak in public, in front of a mirror at home, go to interviews. Work on your mistakes and be sure to take them into account at the next conversation.
- Prepare thoroughly for each interview: study information about the company and position, prepare your questions for the recruiter and be prepared to talk about yourself and your professional experience.
Don't be afraid to change your job if it doesn't bring you any pleasure or profit. Be afraid to leave things as is, especially when your career has reached a dead end. And Work.ua will always support and tell you how to do everything right!
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I want to change my job, but I'm afraid...
In my case it was exactly like that. After several years spent in one place, changing jobs was scary, even taking into account the fact that the changes were expected to be for the better. In the old team, everyone knows you and does not require you to “get stars from the sky.” And the work is familiar to the point of automaticity. What if in a new place you have to deal with something you’ve never done before? What if I don’t have enough knowledge? After all, you can easily disgrace yourself, sit in a puddle, get into trouble. The fear of a new job can poison life seriously and for a long time, turning long-awaited changes into protracted, destructive stress.
By the way, I never settled into one of my new jobs. Every morning I woke up thinking that I was afraid to go to work. The team remained alien and aggressive; almost no one spoke to me. The boss gave incomprehensible tasks, without explaining anything and without meeting halfway. The office seemed uncomfortable and hostile, and each new day only added to the frustration. The only plus was the salary, and I forced myself to go to work, hoping that everything would work out. It was real hard labor. Three or four cigarettes, smoked every morning before entering, brought nausea, slightly dulling the sticky, disgusting fear. In the evenings, alcohol was used to combat stress... Even many years later, this negative experience is remembered as a waking nightmare.
How to overcome fear of a new job? The answer to this question is both complex and simple. First, you need to understand the main causes of fear that lie deep inside. Is it really a fear of work or a fear of something else?
Complex phobia
In some cases, ergophobia is combined with other phobias (not only social phobia). The most popular complications:
- Erythrophobia is the fear of blushing in public and being ridiculed. Occurs due to low self-esteem. Such an employee never shows initiative and finds it difficult to interact with the team.
- Autophobia – fear of loneliness. Makes you cling to old connections, old work.
- Demophobia is the fear of large crowds of people. In this case, the patient neglects his responsibilities.
The third fear. Disappoint the employer
How can I leave? Without me everything will be lost! This is how perfectionist specialists think, who care about the employer, but not so much about themselves and their careers. They are afraid that if they leave the company, projects will fail, contracts will not be signed, deals will no longer be concluded, and bankruptcy is not far away.
Loyalty to your employer is, of course, commendable, but what about loyalty to yourself?
What to do:
- Face your fear, remember that no one is irreplaceable. First and foremost, be true to yourself and your career principles.
- At your previous job, do everything in your power, prepare for your departure, train the person who will replace you. Already in the process, you will feel how fear is slowly receding.
Consequences of a phobia
Ergophobia is characterized by rapid development. Without treatment and control, the patient's condition will rapidly deteriorate, which will ultimately lead to psychophysical exhaustion. Secondary mental disorders and psychosomatic illnesses arise.
Ergophobia interferes with self-realization and personal development. A person cannot fully reveal his potential and enjoy the work done. The patient is tormented by thoughts about the meaning of life. If a person cannot find a job, then he literally has nothing to live on. He has to enter into dependent relationships. Some patients take the criminal path.
It is important! The patient may have excellent recommendations from previous employers, do an excellent job, or be a good specialist, but the phobia still prevents him from finding a job.
Fear of the boss
Among the fears before work, the fear of the boss stands apart. If only because you can suddenly get it without even changing your job.
This happened to my brother, who left for another city, tempted by the offer of a world-famous production company. At first it was not easy for him in the new place, he had to overcome both the fear of the new job and the alienation of the team, and get used to the new responsibilities... After a few months, he completely got used to it, completed his probationary period, became friends with his colleagues, and began to go to work with pleasure. It was then that thunder struck: the boss was changed at the enterprise. Instead of the previous boss, who, in fact, invited the out-of-town employee to join him, an aggressive tyrant was appointed manager. This one began his “reign” with the total suppression of any personal initiative of his subordinates, with rudeness and personal insults...
Alas, not everyone was able to overcome their fear of the new boss, including my brother. He had to quit and leave the city, to which he had gotten used to with such difficulty and perseverance...
There are times in every person’s life when he is afraid of losing his job or, having already lost it, is afraid to go to a new job. This may be due to fear of change, fear of a new team, fear of not being able to cope with the job, of disgrace, of not being up to par, etc. However, no matter what fears accompany the process of going to work, it cannot be avoided. Life dictates the need to earn and support ourselves and our family... And the less stress and fears that accompany changes in our work history, the more successful and happier we will be. Sometimes this requires very little, for example, taking the “System-Vector Psychology” training by Yuri Burlan and getting rid of the fear of work forever. Free online lectures are coming soon - join us to learn more! Register here
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Proofreader: Anna Katargina, Gilyara Temiryanova
Therapy
If you cannot cope with your fear of work on your own, you need to work with a psychologist. It can also be carried out online with psychologist-hypnologist Nikita Valerievich Baturin. When fear grows from social phobia, it is important to gain a new, positive experience of respect, acceptance and care, which the client can receive in psychotherapeutic sessions. A psychologist helps you get out of the victim role and develop an internal center of resilience. And then failure or negative reactions from outsiders will not be able to pull the rug from under a person’s feet.
Any irrational fear is associated with unprocessed and driven into the subconscious experiences, most often associated with events from childhood. Hypnosis helps to lift them from the bottom of memory and rethink them from the perspective of an adult. Hypnotic suggestions help activate resource states of the psyche when you find yourself in frightening situations. And as a result, standing on your boss’s carpet, you no longer feel like a small defenseless child being scolded by your father. You are an adult, independent person who can stand up for yourself.
You can learn more about using hypnotherapy when working with fears and phobias here.
Fear first. Changes
Yes, any changes are accompanied by discomfort. And changing jobs, too. But don’t think that everything will necessarily be bad in your case. It will just be different.
Think about it, we spend about one third of our lives at work. That's a lot. So can we continue to remain unclaimed, undervalued, allowed to be underpaid or humiliated? Definitely not.
What to do:
- It is possible to experience change without pain and fear. Your main task is to stop replaying the negative scenario in your head. Persistently think that the new position will bring only positive changes.
- Think about all the times you gave up something really good because you were afraid of change. Draw conclusions.
- Write down on a piece of paper all the potential benefits of changing jobs and periodically return to what you wrote. Don’t mention the downsides, let only the positive outcome of the case live in your subconscious.
Behaved unnaturally
Often beginners are afraid to show their weaker sides.
If you don’t perceive information well by ear, ask it to be repeated and write it down.
If you find it difficult to communicate with strangers, keep communication to a minimum. Don't forget, you'll have to maintain your image later.
Remember: you came to work. The main thing is that you are respected as a professional.
Of course, you shouldn’t shy away from communication. Behave as usual, but don't be too categorical - it's always scary.
The second fear. Can't find a new job
A very strange phobia. There is always work, even in times of crisis, even when your neighbor cannot find a suitable position for the second year in a row, even if the media trumpets about growing unemployment.
On average, job seekers find a new job within 3-6 months. The duration of the search depends on the field of activity, experience and the situation on the labor market. But in any case, you will find it, your relevant position.
Another question is if the cause of your worries is you, your lack of competence and confidence, that you are unlikely to be needed by anyone other than your current employer. But here we still need to figure out whether this fear is far-fetched.
What to do:
- It may be unethical to look for a new job without quitting your old one, but in this case these are necessary measures. By following such a plan, you will prepare for the changes mentally and financially, and you will have more time to search for the job you have long dreamed of.
- If you quit and there is no suitable replacement option, find temporary work. This is your insurance. It will eliminate fear and the need to accept the first offer that comes your way. But be careful not to let a temporary part-time job become a lifelong one.
- Think about whether you are underestimating your importance. Work on your self-esteem. If you still realize that you really lack experience, learn, develop, try.
