3 Hard Truths About Why You Haven’t Applied For That Dream Job

We have all procrastinated once or twice on an important task or assignment. Instead of completing that job application, we are revising our resume for the 5th time. Maybe you have not even touched the job application, but you stare at it every time you log into your computer.

According to the European Psychologist, procrastination is the needless delay of things one intends to do. It is common in our society to believe procrastination comes from laziness, but there are other aspects that are involved as well. Here are four honest reasons on why you might be procrastinating and not applying for a job you are more than qualified for.

It is easy to put off applying for a dream role due to the fear of being rejected. Investing all your time on an application or practicing for an interview just to be told ” Thank you for your interest, but we will be going with another candidate” can understandably decrease ones self-confidence. Ruminating on this idea of the possibility of being rejected and the negative feelings it brings can lead a lot of us to procrastinate on applying for our dream role.

Perfectionism can play a huge role in why we may procrastinate on our job application. Having unrealistic expectations for yourself and the possible outcomes can cause anxiety. Looking at the job requirements and expectations, and immediately labeling yourself as unqualified. These instances are so common and leads a lot of us to procrastinate on applying for our dream role because of this false narrative that we have to be prefect before putting ourselves out there.

According to Ana Vasquez of the International Journal of Management Education; it is natural for us to compare ourselves in order to evaluate our skills, which comes with positive and negative effects. For example, revising your resume and comparing it to one of your peers to make sure it flows smoothly. This can have a positive effect on you because you are solely focusing on ways to make your experiences stand out. Whereas, there are times that we can compare our work experiences with others and have the mindset that we are falling behind or not good enough. If we are not self aware, comparison can deprive us from pursuing the gifts and career goals that we are most passionate about.

Unfortunately, it has been instilled in a majority of us at a young age, that procrastination is linked to laziness, but that is far from the truth. Procrastination is a behavior that is often caused by stress in our lives and/or any lingering negative beliefs we may be carrying about ourselves and our circumstances. There are so many reasons we revert to procrastinating when a big project is due or a deadline is approaching to submit a job application, this can be anxiety, ADHD or any other underlying issue. Identifying this underlying issue for yourself is a huge step in working to minimize procrastination.