6 Ways to Use Your Job Search Time Wisely

6 Ways to Use Your Job Search Time Wisely 6 Ways to Use Your Job Search Time Wisely When you are out of work and searching for a job, there are countless ways you could spend your job search time wisely, or not so wisely. Do you camp out on LinkedIn all day, making connections and finding people pertinent to your job search? What about calling every HR person you can find and giving them your pitch? Maybe you participate in every job fair within 150 miles. It can be exhausting. To minimize job search fatigue and make sure you are utilizing your job search time wisely during this journey, here are six strategies to remember: Tackle your least desirable tasks first. Brian Tracy, in his amazing book Eat That Frog, talks about the benefit of completing our least favorite tasks as early in the day as possible. If you don’t go ahead and get it over with, the task hangs like a cloud over your whole day. You need all your mental energies focused on the present moment. If procrastination is a consistent personal challenge for you, check out my article, 25 Ways to Fight Procrastination. Set and follow a schedule. Since searching for a job is as intense as having one, develop a schedule for each day. Determine how much time you want to allocate to the job search, and divide up those hours with specific activities. Decide in advance what constitutes a valid interruption of your work. Post them in a place where you can see them if needed. Your time is too valuable to waste! Keep a log of your progress. You may enjoy one activity related to your job search more than another (e.g., perusing job sites versus making phone calls), but if it isn’t moving you toward gainful employment, why are you doing it? Create an activity log that lists the activity you engaged in that day and what, if any, results you got. Review it weekly to see where you may want to spend less (or more) time next week. Post when others are looking. A significant portion of many job searches today is about engaging others online. If you are posting when no one is looking, how effective is that time you are spending on it? Once you identify individuals you want to follow or interact with, notice their online habits. When do they post to social media? If you’re using LinkedIn as a job search tool, the best times are 7-8:30 a.m. and 5-6 p.m. Fannit has a superb infographic on the best times to post to social media. Focus in short bursts. The job search process is mentally draining. If you work for long periods of time, you tend to get sloppy and less effective in your work. You also tend to try and multitask more often as you get tired and your mind starts looking for distractions. Set a specific period of time to work on one part of your job search, and don’t allow anything short of a house fire to deter your attention. An effective tool to aid you in your focus is the Pomodoro Technique. Take time for personal renewal. The job search can become an all-consuming process, robbing you of time you need for improving your personal well-being. Schedule time in your day to do those things that refresh and renew you. Look for moments of what I call sacred idleness. Plan ahead on how you will spend your evenings. I had a friend who was out of work and gained over 40 pounds during his job search. He allowed the stress to drive him to overeating, and I can only imagine how much it hurt others first impressions of him when he had an interview. Remember that a job is what you do…it is NOT who you are. To learn more time management tips and strategies, download my article, 15 Proven Time Management Strategies. And may your next job bring you more work-life satisfaction than you ever dreamed possible. Readers, how do you use your job search time when actively or passively job searching? Share with us below! Todays guest expert is Jones Loflin. Using innovative ideas with practical applications, author and speaker Jones Loflin equips individuals with real tools to move their work and life forward. You can learn more about Jones at www.jonesloflin.com or contact him directly at info@jonesloflin.com.