Daily Job Hunt
Advice to Give Structure
to your Routine
Every day you need to have your next day planned out and every
week you need to have you next week planned out, you will constantly need to
make changes to accommodate the needs of your job search. Take the below
advice and make a base routine for each day of the work week and on weekends
squeeze in some time to research new job postings so Mondays you have your
targets ready. Place your schedule on a daily calendar and check off each
responsibility as you complete it. It is suggested in the first few weeks
of your job search you will need to be more aggressive in the amount of time
you put into you job search routine since you will have more research and job
postings to review. At or about the third week you should see a harmony
form within your routine.
§
Start of Day 6:30 am Daily — start
your day at the same time every day. 6:30 am will give your day a good start
and keep you structured.
§
45 Minutes Daily — each morning you need to
take a shower and get dressed and not in sweat pants, you need to put on real
clothing not sleep wear. This will keep you from crawling up on the couch or in
bed. Remember take pride in your appearance it will make you feel good and keep
you motivated.
§
15-30 Minutes Daily — eat breakfast, we all have
heard it is the most important meal of the day and it will keep your energy
levels on track.
§
60 Minutes Daily — fitness, if you normally
go to the gym or an exercise program, whether it’s in the morning, lunch time
or evenings don’t change it, keep your fitness routine on track. If you don’t
have a fitness routine or you had to cancel your gym membership due to loss of
income, think of taking long walks, speed walking or even seek out playing your
favorite sport, these all can do wonders for your fitness. Do workouts you can
do at home; jump rope, weights, yoga and/or sit ups. Remember to consult your
physician with any fitness routine you start.
§
30 Minutes Daily — review any new job
postings from on line search engines as we discussed in our The Web section. Print out a list of the jobs with their job
description and web link.
§
20 Minutes Daily — review the classified ads
and circle jobs you want to apply for, as discussed in our Traditional Method section.
§
30 Minutes Daily — work on your list of
companies and organizations you desire to work for, even though they don’t have
advertised job postings as discussed in our Traditional Method section. Take a few of these
companies and track down the contact information of the person who would be
doing the hiring and your next boss for your type of position at each of these
companies.
§
20 Minutes Daily — work your list of
recruiters you need to contact as discussed in our Recruiters page.
§
30-60 Minutes Daily — review your networking;
leads, contacts and LinkedIn as discussed in our Networking/LinkedIn page and make a list of jobs
or companies you want to apply for. Take part in LinkedIn group discussions and
review you has viewed your profile for contact leads.
§
60 Minutes Daily — take a lunch break
§
Two/20 Minutes Daily — take two/20 minute breaks
a day on top of 30-60 minutes for lunch, get up walk around have a snack.
§
3-4 Hours Daily — write your cover letters
and make any changes to your resume to target each of the jobs you are applying
for from the above list you complied. Send out cover letters and resumes by
mail or email and complete any online job applications. Remember it is better
to send out 10 well targeted cover letters and resumes to the right people than
it is to send out 1,000 general ones.
§
2-3 Hours Weekly — a few days during the work
week, review your own finances and stay on top of them. Plan a budget and
constantly review you spending and areas you can save money.
§
2-3 Hours Weekly — meet colleagues, friends
or even family members for an inexpensive breakfast, lunch, or cup of coffee.
Communicate how your search is going; be open for advice and leads. This will
help break up the monotonous of your week, fight some of the loneliness and can
also add leads to your job search.
§
2-3 Hours Weekly — work on your skills for
landing a job. Attend online webinars, live seminars or workshops that are
available to further your job seeking skills. There are many of these being
offered that cover skills on; resumes, cover letters, looking for job openings,
time management, interviewing, etc. You can also research many of these topics;
online, books at the library or even in your local book store. Also reach out
to your county unemployment offices, community centers, churches, schools and
colleges many hold career clubs, support groups or career services that can be
very beneficial.
§
End of Job Search Work Day approx. 5:00 pm —
your job search day should end about the same time your normal work day ended.
Just like in the real world of work there are times that you need to put in
overtime. Spend time with family and friends, stay active and don’t become a
couch potato.
§
20 Minutes Daily — Each evening before you
retire to bed, spend about 20 minutes to look over any emails or networking
that might need your response.
As you can see a job search is a full day and we didn’t include any job interviews, career fairs or job fairs that you will need to attend. Stay on track and if you fall out of your routine, acknowledge it then get back on track. One important note is that you need a work space that is yours to use for you job search. If you have a home office space you’re in luck, but if you don’t you need to carve out a space where you can work without interruptions from others.
During unemployment is a good time to obtain job skills,
certifications or licenses that can assist in your career. Take that course on
a software program your missing, get certified on that piece of equipment, or
make sure your licenses are up to date
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