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Fitting Your Job Search into Your Life

Fitting Your Job Search into Your Life

During your job search “campaign”, the two resources you need to manage best are time and information. The better you manage one, the easier it will be to manage the other. The opposite is also true -- if you don't manage your information well, you will waste time searching for that critical piece of data that you've misplaced. If you don't manage your time well, you might lose important pieces of information because you didn't take time to document them properly.

A successful job search campaign also involves balancing the important relationships in your life and the myriad of other commitments you must attend to daily!

After all, it’s not healthy or advisable to let your job search become all-consuming. Considering how much of a roller coaster ride your job search can be, it’s crucial to integrate your search into your daily life in such a way that keeps stress to a minimum.

Your job search is not the time to show off how totally self-sufficient you can be. If you’re not the kind of person that usually asks for help when life gets overwhelming, now may be the time.

Consider talking to your family or those you live with about shifting the balance of chores while you focus on your job search. Or, let your friends know they can expect you to be less sociable than usual during this time.

An honest, forthright conversation with those you trust will not only reduce stress, but may elicit helpful suggestions and advice from those around you. In any case, having your friends’ and family’s emotional support during this time will only help you ride the waves!

Here are some more tips on managing the most crucial aspects of your campaign:

Gather the Right Information
Your job search preparation and the aftermath of interviews will produce a small mountain of information that must be sorted and filed according to a system that makes sense to you.
Consider the information you will collect and use throughout the course of your job search:

  • Copies of your resume
  • Your portfolio
  • Information on market segments
  • List of target companies
  • Important contacts
  • Copies of ads you have answered
  • Copies of thank-you letters you have sent
  • Copies of any correspondence between yourself and the companies you’ve interviewed with
  • Directions and maps
  • Market research
  • List of questions for hiring managers
  • Reference letters and lists
  • Calendars/schedules
  • College scripts/copies of  your diploma

Base your system on how your mind organizes and retrieves information.

Designing a Filing System That Works For You
Remember:

  • This is "your" system. No one else will be using it so it only needs to make sense to you.
  • You can colour-code items in each category according to their priority level. Use different coloured highlighters, labels, tabs, folders.
  • Cull your files periodically to reduce the volume of material and to prioritize the information. This will also save time when you are looking for something.

Suggested Filing Categories

  • PERSONAL HISTORY: Copies of your resume, performance reviews, your list of references, letters of recommendation.
  • PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT: Documents related to training courses you have completed, certificates you have earned, copies of your diploma (if necessary), copies of your college transcripts (if necessary) articles or books you have written, self-assessments you have completed.
  • PORTFOLIO: Work you have completed that is relevant to the jobs you are applying for (these items should be more specific to the industry and jobs you are applying for than the documents in your “Personal and Professional Development” file).
  • INTERVIEW CORRESPONDENCE: Copies of the questions you’d like to ask the hiring manager, copies of the job postings you have answered or plan to answer, any piece of correspondence between yourself and the company’s hiring manager or HR representative, copies of thank you notes you have sent to the hiring committee after an interview.
  • MARKET SEGMENTS: Information on industry trends, events, statistics (one file per market).
  • TARGET COMPANIES: Contact information of the companies you want to work for: names, phone numbers, addresses, maps, schedules, and notes (one file per company).

Time Management
Be honest with yourself about how you tend to manage time. Others might try to drive or control your schedule, but you are most effective when you set your own goals, develop your own plan, and push yourself when and where needed.

When setting priorities, think about your objectives and ask yourself:

  • Is it necessary? In other words, will it help me progress in my search?
  • It is a wise use of my time and energy?
  • Is it the most efficient way of accomplishing my goal?