Does your job search need a tune-up?
You’ve been working hard at your job search, you’re getting
tired and discouraged, you expected to be working by now and your energy level
is low and getting lower. What to do?
Perhaps just like that engine in your vehicle, you do your best when everything’s working well: the right oil, steering fluid, brake fluid, coolant and window washer. And sometimes parts need recalibrating – a tune up. Could your job search be helped by recalibrating? Do you need to assess what you have been doing and determine what needs modification? Do you need to remove some “road sludge” that’s sapping your time and energy?
The Job Search Tune Up
Review your activities over the last three months. Identify the percentage of time spent in job search activities listed below:
- Searching online at Monster and Career Builder
- Searching aggregate job boards – Indeed and SimplyHired*
- Searching on a niche job board*
- Submitting resumes and applications to postings
- Attending networking events with other job seekers
- Attending events in professional specialties*
- Attending presentations and other events open to the public*
- Looking up contacts on LinkedIn
- Customizing your resume for specific jobs*
- Revising your LinkedIn Profile
- Following up on Leads
- Meeting with referred contacts*
- Answering questions on LinkedIn*
- Participating in Groups on LinkedIn*
- Writing a Blog*
- Administration/Paperwork/Follow-up correspondence
While all of these activities (and others not mentioned) are required to manage a job search, those with the asterisk are considered the more important – high yield activities. What percentage of your time is going to those? If you are tracking/recording your search activities, you can do a good analysis and determine where most of your time and energy are going. If not in the high-yield activities you need to tune up your job search? (If you are not tracking carefully all activities, leads and planned follow-up, you are weakening your search results.
It’s understandable that job seekers today can begin to lose momentum. Even when doing everything right, the search may take a long time in this market. And just like that vehicle, we can get sluggish. Don’t blame yourself, no negative self- talk, just fine tune that calendar and add/increase premium activities.
Questions about high yield activities? Just contact me.
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