You work hard eight to ten hours a day, check your email regularly all hours of the day and night, take calls on vacation, and work through lunch.
Suddenly you are out of work and have to find another job. You have nothing but time. You clean the garage and all the closets. You finish a resume and start submitting responses to ads.
Alternately, suddenly you decide it is necessary to find a different job. You are still busy at work but really need to get on with your job search.
How do budget your time?
The answer is in the question. You budget your time. The challenge is the same. In both situations you must allocate specific periods of time to your job search and not allow yourself to be diverted by activities that are not central to your job search.
This can be challenging when you are working but it is still possible. Ideally find 2 or 3 hours per day to devote to your job search.
Here are some tips for allocating time to your job search while you are working:
- Scale back your work effort to the minimally required amount to complete your basic work tasks.
- Stop working through lunch and working late. Use the time you acquire to network.
- Rekindle relationships by getting lots of coffee with people in other companies. Use your lunch time and after or before work time.
- Start dressing better every day so when you need to leave for an interview you won’t look so obviously dressed up.
- Carry a personal cell phone that you use for job search. Don’t use your business cell phone.
If you are not working, use a calendar to schedule your time. Here are some tips for job seekers who do not go to an office every workday:
- Schedule at least 6 to 8 hours a day, 5 days a week to your job search.
- Devote at least 75% of your time to networking. That means adding connections to LinkedIn, scheduling and attending networking meetings, job seekers clubs, industry or professional associations, and coffee for information.
- Divide the remaining time among recruiters and responding to job ads.
- Set goals for daily and weekly number of phone calls, number of contacts made, number of networking events.
- Create a log of your activity so you can follow up with thank you cards and follow up phone calls or emails.
Every job seeker should allocate time for physical activity to keep up your energy and positive endorphins. When you achieved your daily and weekly goals, go do something that makes you happy.
Budget your job search time to make the most of your opportunities. Have a plan so you can achieve your goals. A job search without a job search marketing plan takes so much longer.
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