Finding a job is hard enough without having to deal with rejection, financial uncertainty, and the emotional drain of unemployment. A new study led by Northwestern University suggests a smartphone-based program that combines mental health exercises with practical job-search guidance could help people get back to work. After six weeks of the trial, 68.3% of people using the program had found jobs, compared with 50.8% of those receiving standard job-search advice.

The program, called DRIVEN (Distress-Informed Return-to-Work Intervention), addresses a problem often ignored during unemployment. The longer someone is unable to find work, the more their motivation and mental health can suffer. That can make finding a job even harder. The results, published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research on October 20, suggest that both sides of the problem could help.

DRIVEN mixes job-hunting advice with mental health help

The six-week program includes self-guided exercises delivered via a smartphone app based on cognitive behavioral techniques. These include keeping track of mood and stress, thinking more flexibly, and breaking down intimidating tasks into smaller steps. Participants were also encouraged to identify transferable skills, improve their CVs, network, and prepare for interviews.

Crucially, the intervention was not simply an app. They also had three one-hour video sessions with a job coach, who gave individual guidance on applications, networking, CVs, and interview preparation.

Researchers randomly assigned 126 unemployed adults in seven U.S. metropolitan areas to either DRIVEN or a control group that received weekly emails with job-search advice and resources. At the end of the trial, 43 out of 63 people in the DRIVEN group had found jobs, compared with 32 out of 63 in the control group. Participants in DRIVEN also reported greater improvements in job-search activity, mood and depressive symptoms during the intervention.

The results are encouraging, but it is not a magic wand for finding jobs.

The findings are important because the impact of unemployment can extend beyond someone’s bank balance. It can undermine confidence, motivation, and mental well-being, creating a cycle that makes returning to work harder and harder. Interventions that target practical and emotional barriers may be more useful forms of support than job listings and CV templates alone.

But there are reasons to be cautious. The trial included only 126 participants, and the researchers say the results may not apply to all populations. The program was tested in the US on English-speaking smartphone users. No statistically significant differences in job-search behavior and mental health were found at the 8- and 16-week follow-ups.

The research team is now looking to partner with state job agencies and companies that assist laid-off workers. Larger studies will be needed to determine whether DRIVEN can produce similar results at scale.