Searching for a job can be challenging, especially since you don’t know exactly when it is going to end. As your search continues to grow in length, it is easy to lose focus or patience and begin to relax in your efforts.
For this reason, it is important for anyone on the job hunt to maintain a set schedule of daily job-searching activities. If you plan out your schedule, it makes it easier to define your goals and track your progress. By holding yourself accountable in this way, you will likely find better results in your job search.
Setting your personal schedule
If you’re unsure about how to begin arranging your job-seeking calendar, here are some tips that you can follow:
- Schedule in blocks. Keep the blocks of time that you use for job searching activity to between 30 and 60 minutes. Longer blocks of time are more difficult to manage and you will have a greater likelihood of drifting off task.
- Stay flexible. Your job search priorities will change as you make progress in your hunt. Networking opportunities, interviews and other promising activities and event will occur that could throw off your schedule. Embrace these opportunities when they arise, and rearrange your schedule as necessary.
- Take breaks. It is important to give yourself time to recharge every now and then. Take time for lunch or to rest here and there.
- Review your schedule before you begin. Every morning, take some time to check your schedule and confirm that you have prioritized your most important tasks for the day. This practice not only helps you to stay focused on what you need to accomplish, but it also is an excellent way of getting prepared for the search every day.
- Review your accomplishments. At the end of each day, take some time to review the progress you made. If you have any uncompleted tasks, reschedule them for the next day. At the end of the week, determine how many hours you worked on your job search and what you accomplished that week. If you need to adjust your schedule for the next week, do it.
- Keep distractions at bay. Family and friends who find out you are available during the day are likely to ask you to do things they wouldn’t typically ask you to do if you were working. Resist the urge to say “yes” to every one of these favors or invitations – if you have the mindset that the job hunt is your job, this becomes much easier.
Though you may not know when you will get your next job, you can control the amount of work you put into finding it. Plan out your job-seeking activities and stick to your schedule, and you will find yourself in a much better position to advance your search faster.
