For many of us summer means time off, and rightly so. There are wise ways to enjoy summer and stay on top of your job search. Here are suggestions to help you stay on track when life, vacations and interruptions abound.Set concrete goals. Imagine it’s September 1st. Looking back over the summer, what do you want to say about how you spent your time? What will you celebrate in terms of accomplishments? Do you plan to have a job offer or an active networking program? Will you be ready to embark on a new training program? Create goal statements, such as “I spent x hours per week on my job search. I activated my network and reconnected with colleagues, letting people know that I am interested in make a job change. I sharpened my interview skills and created interview stories that address major points in the jobs I am seeking.”
Be consistent. Think about the idea of consistency. What can you do on a regular basis? If you were to think of your job search activities as a routine, how you describe that new routine?
Set measurable targets for each action. Now, think about how you can make the activities measurable and discrete. If you are going to spend time looking at job listings, then set a limit of # of hours spent looking. If you are planning to delve into networking and informational interviews, decide how many appointments per week you want to have. Decide how many outreach emails per week you will send. If you are going to actively apply for jobs, decide how many applications per week you will submit.
Create a tracking system, such as a list or spreadsheet. Create a visual that you can use to track the actions you’re going to take and your specific, measurable goals. The more you’re able to see what you are working on and track your progress, the more likely you are to do the things on your list. And how great to see what you have done. Imagine looking at your chart and seeing how many applications you’ve submitted (and to where), how many appointments you’ve had and the hours you put in to your successful job search.
Make sure you have variety. Make sure you have variety. The best, most effective job search is one that has a mix of activities. Very few people succeed by spending hours on LinkedIn and looking at job postings. Many more succeed by scanning ads, doing outreach, going to networking events and refining their job search materials (resume, etc).
Do more outreach. Remember- business gets done all year round so people are still working and still hiring. For many people, summer schedules are more relaxed, and that’s good for arranging networking meetings and informational interviews. It can also translate into longer conversations and more time to connect. So, reach out and take advantage of the summer by networking more (not less!).
Reward yourself. If you achieved your goal of submitting three excellent job search applications in a week and you met with one networking lead, then turn off the computer and get outside! Check things off your list and then take a break.
Take a vacation. Make sure that you take REAL TIME OFF. Whether you take a full-on vacation or you take an hour or an afternoon here and there, make sure that there is balance and fun (!) in your schedule. Too many of us think we have to be productive and plugged in all the time. Do you know that many successful people commit to sacred chunks of downtime? Put time for you into your plan.