How to keep yourself sane during the job search
When you’re on the job hunt, it’s important to keep yourself busy. As I’ve written before, landing a job takes time (3 months is fast in normal times; 5-6 months in the COVID-19 era), and you want to keep yourself from refreshing your email all day.
It’s also important because one of the hardest parts of the job search is maintaining confidence in yourself. When you make it to the interview stage and don’t move forward, it’s hard not to beat yourself up about it. This is a totally understandable feeling, but it’s a tricky dynamic because people want to hire positive people who are ready to kick ass.
So, focus on the parts of the job search you can control and stick to the basics: Meet with five to eight new people a week, send thoughtful thank-you notes after meeting with them, and follow up with everyone you’ve met with once a month. If you do this right, it should take about ten to fifteen hours a week.
Apart from those core things, here are my tips for how to fill the rest of your time:
Say yes to side hustles. I often hire people who I meet as candidates to help me with a small sourcing or research project. So if the opportunity presents itself, say yes -- and don’t overprice yourself here (I usually pay $25-$45). You can also say something like, “I’m open to a side hustle right now to keep me distracted from the job hunt. Let me know if you hear of any small projects. I’m happy to do list building or outreach work or whatever you need.”
Volunteer. Don’t just volunteer anywhere; volunteer for groups you’re impressed with and could see yourself working for. One idea: If you have a social media background, you could ask if they need help getting more Twitter followers since nearly every organization needs help with that. Be direct and say you’ve done it before, and want to help out while job hunting to distract you.
Get into something new. During my first big job hunt, I decided to train for a half marathon, which got me out running three to four times a week. It should be something to occupy your time and energy other than job hunting.
Now, onto housekeeping!
NRG Consulting is offering coaching programs to folks on the job hunt, whether you’re an entry- or senior-level candidate. Check out the programs we’re offering on our website, and get in touch with us.
If you find this newsletter helpful, forward it to your friends and help us build our network! Also, if you have feedback or an idea for a future newsletter topic, shoot me a note.
Naomi