Over half of Brits (55.5%) admit that certain elements of the job hunt scare them, with one in three (30%) stating that they wouldn’t apply for a job that required them to face their fears. That’s according to brand new research this Halloween, from the UK’s leading independent job site, CV-Library.
The survey of 1,200 UK employees asked professionals about the areas of the job hunt that left them feeling spooked, as well as the impact this had on their job search. It found that one in 10 (9.4%) have even avoided going to an interview because they were too scared.
Brits then listed all the areas of the job hunt that they feared the most, revealing the following frightening factors:
- Being rejected for a role they wanted - 55.7%
- Attending interviews - 42.4%
- Having to do an interview test or task - 39.9%
- Speaking to recruiters or potential employers on the phone - 34.8%
- Having to include a video with their application - 34.1%
- Video interviews - 33.7%
- Writing a cover letter -29.9%
- Writing a CV - 25.9%
- Having to take time off to attend interviews - 25.3%
- Meeting with new people - 13.3%
Lee Biggins, founder and managing director of CV-Library comments on the findings: “Job hunting can certainly be nerve wracking, but you shouldn’t let any of your fears stop you from reaching your ideal role. It’s important that you combat these fears in order to progress in your career, so consider ways in which you can polish up your job hunting skills and make the process less harrowing.
“Look for career advice blogs to give you an insight into how you can prepare your CV and cover letter, handle nerves and master the entire job hunting process. Above all, if you feel organised and ready to make your mark then it can help ease some of the anxiety that comes with looking for a job!”
The research further highlighted an age gap between different generation’s worries. While 61.4% of under 18’s, and 62.5% of those aged 18-24 said job hunting scared them, only 44.4% of those aged 44-64 admitted any fears.
Biggins continues: “ If you relate to any of these fears, remember that the more experience you get of job searching, interviews and job applications, the easier and less nerve wracking it will eventually get.”
If you’re looking for help with how to write a CV, job interview tips or even a complete guide to writing a cover letter – check out the CV-Library career advice blog.
About CV-Library
CV-Library is one of the UK’s largest online job sites and attracts over 4.3 million unique job seekers every month. Founded by Lee Biggins in 2000, CV-Library is the UK’s leading independent online job board with a database of over 13 million CVs.
