It’s true. LinkedIn might just be more anxiety-inducing than Instagram. The notification that another student has secured a return offer for postgrad is far more likely to send me into a spiral than a reading week photo dump. All forms of social media can generate anxiety and feelings of envy—including the foremost business-oriented social networking site.
The source of career anxiety doesn’t just come from LinkedIn. Instagram and TikTok have their fair share of fear-inspiring captions—think captions in all-caps saying ’YOU NEED TO BE APPLYING FOR INTERNSHIPS NOW!!’. The race to network, apply for internships, and secure a job offer seems to be unavoidable. Unfortunately, we can’t just ‘hop off’ the grind—as a humanities student, I am always thinking about the next steps and the grueling job search process. Overcoming career anxiety is difficult, but possible—the aim is not to prevent or suppress the stress but to productively manage it. Based on personal experience, here’s a non-exhaustive list of how to deal with social media-induced career anxiety:
Breathe and take a break – cringe, but real.
Anyone who knows me well will say I’m incredibly hypocritical for putting this first. I rarely follow this advice—I often try to disprove it (at my own expense). However, the fact of the matter is endless spiraling and self-hatred gets you nowhere positive. As much as I hate to admit it, taking a break from work tends to be more effective in reducing stress and setting you up for success. I love an East Sands walk, coffee at Cottage Kitchen, and crocheting while listening to Bald and the Beautiful (a phenomenal podcast by drag queens Trixie Mattel and Katya Zamolodchikova) to rejuvenate my spirits. Our habits and self-care rituals look different—whatever yours is, know that fulfilling your emotional needs is productive, no matter what that entails.
A ‘break’ may also consist of a literal break from LinkedIn. If you need to give LinkedIn (or any form of social media) the toxic-ex treatment, do it. Instead of hitting the block button, temporarily delete the app from your phone or turn off notifications. Boundaries are healthy!
Feed yourself essential reminders.
- Social media—including LinkedIn—is never a completely accurate depiction of how any one person is doing. Remember, some of your peers may be comparing themselves to you.
- Most journeys are not uniform or linear. You don’t need to have it all figured out right now! There is so much time in this long, dense book of life. Speaking to just about anyone older than 30 affirms that oh-so-many professionals end up in positions and companies unrelated to their degree subjects. This reminder is just as much for me as it is for you—I’m not planning on becoming a historian; it’s about the transferable skills (right?).
- LinkedIn or your CV does not define your worth. Your best quality will never be whether you had a competitive internship in your 20s or what you pursued 10 years later. Congratulate yourself on your well-deserved accomplishments, but don’t conflate your value with extracurricular or professional endeavors.
Be kind to yourself!
Positive reinforcement goes a long way. Shoutout to my lovely flatmate who always preaches this amid deadline season: ‘Look back on how far you’ve come before you tackle what’s next’.
Give your profile a revamp and refresher.
Updating your profile can be done in a variety of ways. Although adding new experiences or positions you’ve acquired is helpful, that’s not the only way to upgrade. Adding an engaging summary of your current interests and future goals gives your network valuable insights into who you are beyond your CV. Actions such as commenting or reposting content on your feed demonstrate engagement with your network. Attaching skills to your existing experiences is also an effortless, effective way to add depth to your profile.
Posting is likely the best way to demonstrate a commitment to your professional development—but it takes real guts. Personally, the thought of posting on LinkedIn is anxiety-inducing. There’s nothing quite like a ‘Celia Irving posted’ notification sent to my whole network to start my heart racing. Depending on your feelings, posting may not be an immediate need—just keep it in the back of your mind!
Reach out!
Ultimately, LinkedIn is a networking platform. Take advantage of that by cold messaging or emailing people. Use your better judgment to determine what’s appropriate, but in my view, friends of friends, friends of parents, university staff, and alumni are worth a shot. Nepotism, albeit problematic, goes a long way in a place like St Andrews. Pro tip: go to the Alumni tab of the St Andrews LinkedIn page, where you can filter through profiles based on place of employment, location, previous degree subject, and more.
Yes, thinking about postgrad plans, the dismal housing market, and the general state of the world gives us all an impending sense of doom (or maybe it’s just me!). However, in this capitalist, can-do economy, that unfortunately does not get us very far. Don’t let something as silly and trivial as LinkedIn let you lose your mojo.