If you’re a senior like me, you’re probably beginning to get all sorts of questions about what you’ll be doing after you graduate–and the holidays last month were just the beginning of that, unfortunately. Looking for a job is stressful enough already, but adding in the pressure of your family and friends breathing down your neck waiting for you to land a job doesn’t help and just adds even more anxiety to it–which shouldn’t even be possible, but it is.
However, there are some ways to avoid these dreaded conversations until you actually have an answer.
1. Bring up that one time you traveled somewhere cool
Everybody loves hearing about a trip and looking through vacation pictures. Whether you studied abroad or went somewhere warm for spring break last year, pull out your phone and show off your photography skills. By the time you’re through the album, everybody will have forgotten that they asked a question about your job hunt.
2. Direct the attention to someone else
Whenever you’re home, which is where you’ll most likely hear these questions, you can easily divert everybody’s attention by bringing up something someone else did. Remember that one time your sister got a parking ticket or your cousin broke a vase? Now’s the time to bring it up.
3. Act like you need to go grab some food
Nobody is going to stop you from having a meal, so bring up that you have to run and eat lunch before the next thing scheduled on your calendar. If they ask to join you to continue the conversation, bring up how busy you are right now–after all, looking for a job is a full-time job in itself.
4. Bring up something else you’re doing at school
Do you have a busy week for classes? Student orgs you’re involved in? A fun class you can’t stop talking about? Talk about all of that instead. Family members will love to hear about what you’re doing in your life (which is why they’re asking you about your job hunt), so it will be easy to distract them with these topics.
Good luck on your job hunt, collegiettes, and good luck avoiding all questions about it until graduation!