Unemployment has long been considered a risk factor for mental health. Although searching for jobs is an extremely draining and stressful process, the job-search systems and applications that jobseekers use do not have to be.

“Love and work…work and love…that’s all there is” are Sigmund Freud’s words proposing that love and work were the most important aspects of human life. Regarding work, unemployment has long been considered a risk factor for mental health. Many studies have demonstrated that unemployment exerted a negative impact such that, among young people, it is reported to lead to depression, alcohol abuse, drug use, associated with lower self-esteem and levels of satisfaction with life.

Apart from coping with the overall feeling of unemployment, the process of job search can also become detrimental to one’s mental health. Dealing with the continuos disappointment of rejection, anxiety of interviews while filling in long resume forms day-in, day-out.

A tedious and emotionally draining process that has led many to job-search stress or burnout. While job-search is an extremely draining and stressful process, the job-search systems, and applications that jobseekers use do not have to be.
In order to redesign the overall UX of job search systems, one has to understand the broader context on which job seekers encounter these problems, frustrations and painpoints.

This study uses stress-less design heuristics and design psychology to identify, analyse and understand the sources of stress that jobseekers encounter on their interactions as well as opportunities for design improvements.

If you are a jobseeker, recruiter or job career advisor come and checkout what we have found out, what we are doing about it and how you can contribute towards a stress-less job search market.