How mental health can impact your hiring prospects

Employers need to realise the importance of mental health as part of their hiring process. [iStockphoto]

While the discussion on mental health is not new, especially from the recent past, the latest research and AI innovations continue to produce findings that every job seeker should be aware of.

Research from the US National Library of Medicine points out that applicants who disclose mental health problems are discriminated against in the hiring process.

It further goes ahead to indicate that applicants with mental health problems have about 27% lower probability of receiving an invitation to a job interview and about 22% lower probability of receiving any positive employer response. 

Looking at the recent job interviews held by the Ministry of Labour for positions in Qatar, many people had to travel and wait long hours for interviews. Some of them came on live TV to talk about the frustrations they had to go through before and after the interview.

Such scenarios point out the impact of unemployment, especially in a competitive labor market like Kenya, on mental health. Recent research from Resume Genius on 1000 job seekers found that 72% of job seekers report job hunting has negatively impacted their mental health. 44% of job seekers say that being ghosted by employers is one of their biggest frustrations.

Interviewing can be stressful, especially with long, never-ending interviews where an applicant must start with case studies and assessments.

Most recently, we witnessed bizarre cases of applicants sending curse words after rejections on the rise.

As Jackline Muriuki, an education and youth expert, said, “I rejected a rejection email.” She adds that on platforms like LinkedIn, people do not talk about rejection, and most of what is seen is acceptance of offers.

Employers need to realize the importance of mental health as part of their hiring process. Mindful hiring is a concept that considers candidates’ mental health needs during recruitment, which helps attract applicants and meet employee needs for mental health support. Actions can include making recruitment easy, overcoming bias, and mindful listening.

Even though challenges continue, here are some strategies job seekers can use to be in good mental health before and after the interview.

AI Mental Health Tools

AI has brought many tools that job seekers can use to improve their mental health. Tools such as Headspace and Wellstory are among the tools that one can use. Such tools can be customized to individual needs and help someone lower their anxiety levels before the interview.

Minimize Social Media Use

Before your interview, don’t stay late on social media platforms such as TikTok. Good sleep has been associated with improving memory. Research by Frontiers indicates that sleep deprivation has a negative effect on our working memory and information-process capacity.

Exercise Before the Interview

According to Indeed, a global job matching and hiring platform, morning exercise on the day of the interview is a great way to burn up that nervous energy and can also help stimulate the mind and clear your head. Leia O’Connell, a Certified Coach on LinkedIn, says that during your workout, you can start collecting your memories and deciding which experiences are the best examples to answer those tough questions.

While the recruitment process can be stressful, changing your mindset and approaching it as a conversation about your skills with professionals can go a long way toward helping with mental health. One last thing: try deep breathing!

Mr. Komba is Communications Manager, Generation Kenya