Time Management for The Employed Job Seeker

Time, a photo by John-Morgan on Flickr.

When you’re currently employed and looking for a new job, it’s important to learn how to mentally triage your efforts. Unlike the unemployed job seeker who absolutely should make their search a fulltime job by reading books, going after all possible leads and doing extensive internet research, you have to be more disciplined about how you spend your time.

Find quiet moments where you can mentally focus on your job search strategies. It’s hard to mentally switch off the initiatives you put into your current role and try to concentrate instead on a new job search. In fact, it’s very stressful. If you devote the contemplation of your job search strategies to the space when you are commuting to work for example, or on Saturday or Sunday mornings, you’ll have a clearer head about what tasks you need to complete.

First, figure out which tasks will yield the greatest result.  A job search often starts out with busy work. Spending hours applying online to Internet job postings and researching salary sites deludes you into believing you are actually being productive. When you overdo these exercises, you are performing the equivalent of reading about how to lose weight while nibbling on (what you swear) will be your last bag of Doritos. These are the time suckers that will sabotage your search—because it’s been proven that the percentage of job seekers hired from online job postings are minimal.

Networking is the best use of your time—but what exactly does that mean?  Okay, so networking is how most people find new jobs. But you are already employed for eight or more hours of your day and your current bosses own your time. Break down your networking activities into its greatest parts and schedule them into small blocks on your calendar:

·      In-person meetings

·      Phone conversations with decision makers

·      Informational interviews

·      Getting leads

·      Conversations with recruiters

It’s a given that your vacation days, your lunch hours and some of your evenings will be used for these networking activities and job interviews. It really isn’t ethical to do your job search while you are on your employer’s watch.

Don’t job hunt in a vacuum.  Everyone supports the efforts of someone who’s unemployed and looking for a job. But when you’re an employed job seeker you may feel like you’re leading a double life. After all, you should be grateful to be working at all, right? Stop feeling guilty and if you can, find a buddy who is also looking for a new job or sign up for a workshop or support group. Do it for feedback on your activities or for positive reinforcement. Do it to remind yourself you aren’t alone. Spouses, partners and families may be supportive, but no one can empathize with your job search and cheer you on better than someone already in the game.