Uncertainty during job searches triggers intrusive negative thoughts and self-doubt. Repeated checking and waiting amplify anxious predictions and discounting of past accomplishments. Rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT) locates distress in beliefs about events rather than events themselves and emphasizes growth through healthy risk-taking. The human brain favors cognitive distortions, so people commonly jump to conclusions, mind-read, fortune-tell, or discount positives when awaiting outcomes. Many people prefer a negative answer to open-ended uncertainty because any resolution reduces stress. Self-criticism can function as a protective response to ambiguity, obscuring underlying fear of rejection and loss of control.
You feel like you've been on a roller coaster, constantly applying for jobs and searching for the perfect one. You've sent an updated resume and cover letter. You answered all the questions. You were asked to submit video answers to questions. And now you wait. Will you be called for an interview? After the tenth time of checking your email, the uncertainty in your head starts to take over, leading you to question yourself: "Why did I even try? I'm not as good as the other applicants. What makes me think they'd want me?"
Albert Ellis, founder of rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT), taught that developing yourself through taking healthy risks is a part of growth and is necessary for your mental health. REBT asserts that it isn't the risk of rejection or even the waiting for an answer that is upsetting you. Instead, it is what you believe about it that is causing you to feel down. But, there's no doubt that there are some additional contributors that make it challenging to wait.
Human brains have a bias toward cognitive distortions, especially negative ones. When you're waiting on an answer, the negative thoughts fill in the blanks. You might be jumping to conclusions (they don't want me), mind-reading (they like someone else better), fortune-telling (they're not going to call), or using other distortions like discounting the positive (I don't have much to offer).
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