Structure Your Week During Job Search

Structure Your Week During Job Search As a job seeker, it is vital to your success to structure your week. Otherwise, youll find yourself derailed or squandering precious time. Some of us are better at this than others.   I fall into the not as good as I should be camp, Ill admit. What I have found is that the weeks when Ive structured my time, I feel 100 times more productive and more satisfied!   So the trick is to maintain this scheduling momentum. When you were working, you had deadlines, meetings, and defined activities you needed to schedule. However, as a job seeker, its easy to find yourself distracted by home improvement projects, running errands and taking care of other long-neglected projects. What Im suggesting is that you structure your job search like you structured your time at work. Monday Friday, 8am 5pm with breaks. Of course, if you prefer 9-6 or some other schedule, thats fine, just hold to it. Whatever you do, DO NOT exceed 35 hours a week and do not work through the weekend. This will lead to burnout. First, you need a calendar! It is amazing how many folks use a notepad.   Hows that working for you?   Paper or electronic, get a calendar and carry it with you at all times. Always schedule events and meetings If you have appointments, meetings, or events, put them on the calendar. Its easy to double-book yourself if you dont have everything on the calendar, trust me! Plan to announce on LinkedIn youll be attending events, ask if anyone else is going, and build some buzz. Now block 1-hour increments of time for these activities: Networking Time:   One on one meetings Email time:   Respond to emails and send emails Phone time: Make followup calls, return messages LinkedIn Time: Use LinkedIn to post updates, comment on posts, respond to group conversations, research target companies or people, write recommendations Knowledge Update Time: Read industry newsletters, local newspapers Online Application Time: Apply for jobs online Blocking Time = Accountability Just blocking time for designated activities will help hold you accountable. You know, every week, you should be networking, following up on applications, and other activities. But its easy to fall back on surfing the job boards because you feel productive. Fight the temptation to waste time searching for jobs that probably arent a fit anyway. Focus On Proactive Job Search Strategies Remember to focus your time and energy being proactive (searching for opportunities not yet posted). Begin by researching people and companies on your target list. (Learn more about using a personal marketing plan). Identify people who work for companies you are interested in, then find people who can introduce you to these insiders and reach out to introduce yourself and ask for a conversation. This doesnt always feel as productive, however, let me remind you that 50+% of jobs are filled by referrals, not job postings (which only account for about 10-15% of new hires)! See the proof here. Some Reminders: You want to be out of your house as much as possible. (You wont meet people or learn about opportunities sitting at home) So schedule computer-related activities early in the morning (before 8am) or late in the day (after 5pm). Dont give up too soon.   Try this for at least 30 days.   Forming new habits take time. Use my recommended blocks of activities before you create your own. Broader is better. It gives you flexibility. You dont want to micromanage your time or feel overwhelmed. Weve all managed our time in the workplace, you just need to put structure around your job search.       For those of you who are visual, this is what it might look like.   BTW, notice all the white space?   Free time?   Thats the perfect opportunity to schedule face to face meeting time!