Five Daily Job Search Activities
Reduce Your Job Search Time & Add More You Time
Expressions such as “One door closes and another door opens.” or “When life hands you lemons you make lemonade.” are wonderful, if not philosophical reminders that there are good times ahead. Seeing the good in expressions like these hasn’t always been easy for yours truly.
From time to time, after finding myself facing a closed door or being handed some lemons, I can safely say that I did not find much solace in either of these expressions. In the case of employment transition, I found myself abandoning some pretty solid habits and becoming fixated on “being busy” and “doing things” and worrying. From this, I learned the hard way that a achieving a successful job search isn’t about spending hours searching job postings and applying nonstop to roles that may or may not be a great fit. It is more about being organized, staying focused and productive on career tasks while spending quality time on Family, Health, and Recreation activities.
Remaining consistent and utilizing those life habits that have made you successful, will serve you well during your job search. Specific to the job search itself, carving out a specific amount of time five days a week, to execute on five specific items each day can prove to be quite fruitful. Equally if not more important, it can assist to stave off counterproductive activity not to mention unhealthy activity, such as heightened worry, anxiety, and burnout.
Here are the five daily tasks that can really pay off in your Job Search and your career. Allow yourself up three hours each day and:
- Apply to as many as 3 jobs that meet your specific targeted search. Don’t just spray applications everywhere. Find roles that align with your goals, then personalize your resume and cover letter to fit the job description. Focus on the quality of your application (A Job that really speaks to you, your resume, and your cover letter) over the quantity of applications.
- Expand your Network with up to 3 new people. Look for professionals who can influence your ability to land a role at your target companies. Whether or not those companies are hiring today, introductions and future collaboration can become mutually valuable. Think about how you can add value to them and/or an insight you would appreciate hearing about from them. Then send that connection request or email.
- Reconnect or follow up with 3 existing connections. Your current relationships are highly valuable and provide mutual benefit. Reach out to people you’re already connected with and touch base. You can ask how a current project is going, mention a recent relevant article or story, or simply check in with them.
- Comment on 1 to 3 LinkedIn posts. Engage with agreeable, thoughtful commentary on posts that you value or that resonate with you in some way. Your thoughts provide an opportunity to show up authentically, at your best and build visibility on LinkedIn.
- Engage with up to 3 target companies. Companies that you would like to be aligned or employed with. Often times, employers check to see which candidates are engaging with their company’s content. Contributing insightful, thoughtful comments on recent posts from a company’s LinkedIn pages is a great way to show your genuine interest in the company and perhaps, stand out.
At the end of the week these tasks can provide you with:
15 quality applications for your preferred role(s) with your preferred companies.
15 new network connections.
15 contributions (Steve Covey might have said “emotional bank deposits) to existing relationships.
15 or more examples of your authentic, thoughtful, and supportive comments and more visibility to you and your LinkedIn profile.
15 connections to companies that you’d like to be aligned with.
By utilizing these five tasks and completed them within a specific allotment of time each day you can experience a much more fruitful and efficient job search and maintain an important and healthy balance in your life. An outplacement and career performance coach is a useful thought partner and resource. Please connect with me on career objectives and a strategy to achieve your goals.