The Career Scaries: Facing the Spookiest Parts of a Communications Career 🎃✨

Happy Halloween! 🎃 As much as we love a good horror flick and spooky decor, nothing gives us the chills quite like the "career scaries" 👻—those unsettling thoughts that haunt us.

Here are a few “career scaries” every comms pro faces and some tricks (and treats!) to handle them:

1. The Fear of the Blank Page

Nothing is scarier than staring down a blank doc when you’re on a tight deadline. Writer’s block can feel like a monster creeping up on you. But remember, just start typing! Even if it’s messy, getting words on the page is the first step to conquering that content creature.

🪄Trick: Set a timer for 10 minutes and free-write whatever comes to mind about your topic, without any distractions. Often, your brain just needs a jumpstart.

2. “Did I Send That to the Right Person?”

Sending an email to the wrong person or posting on the wrong account—just the thought is chilling! In the fast-paced world of comms, it’s easy to make a quick mistake.

🪄 Trick:  Adopt the “Delay Send” feature if your email client has one (like in Outlook or Gmail). Schedule emails to go out a few minutes after hitting send. This gives you a short buffer to catch any errors and saves you from instant regret!

3. The “What If My Pitch Gets Ghosted?” Haunt

You’ve crafted the perfect pitch, but the silence that follows is deafening. It’s hard not to feel the dread of being ghosted by a key journalist or influencer.

🪄Trick: Don’t take it personally! Follow up politely and diversify your outreach. Ghosts aren’t always forever—sometimes they just need a little nudge.

4. The Imposter Syndrome Shadows

Feeling like you’re not “good enough” or fearing that others are better? Imposter syndrome is real and can be terrifying.

🪄Trick: Keep a “wins” folder to remind yourself of your achievements. Collect compliments, positive feedback, and notes from colleagues or clients. Seeing a mix of your achievements and others’ positive words helps you see yourself through their eyes. When the self-doubt ghost creeps up, remind yourself of all the amazing things you’ve done. Plus, a wins folder always comes in handy when you’re preparing for a performance review with your leaders 😉 

5. The Never-Ending To-Do List Terror

Sometimes, the scariest part is feeling like there’s just too much to do and not enough time. This overwhelming dread can feel like being in a haunted house with no exit!

🪄Trick: Group similar tasks or client-related tasks together (like all social media responses or email updates) and tackle them in focused blocks of time. Prioritize what's most urgent and don’t hesitate to communicate openly with your team and managers — they can help you clarify priorities and lighten the load if needed. Be vocal about your workload so everyone’s on the same page, and you’re not carrying the weight alone.