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Job Front: Treat Your Search Like It's Work
The Sacramento Bee
She breaks up the routine with workouts and by visiting with a women’s fellowship for support. Newly married, her husband has also been a source of strength.
Then it’s back to the online world: Career Builder, Indeed.com, Monster.com. She works the phones for more leads.
An Army veteran, she drills down into corporate sites, doing her homework on medical groups like Kaiser Permanente, Mercy and Sutter Health, places where her experience in social work might take root.
“I never have used my computer as much as I do now,” Choate said.
For her, balance and optimism are key to chasing leads – and chasing away the jobless blues.
“You’ve got to keep a good attitude,” Choate said. “All this economic stuff will pass.”
WEEKLY PLANNER FOR JOB HUNTERS
How should you plan your job search? How much time should you dedicate to finding that next job?
Plan your schedule like a workweek, said career counselor Terri Carpenter of Sacramento Works Inc.
“The ideal is to put 40 hours a week into your job search. You need to start your search on Monday like it’s a regular job,” Carpenter said.
A suggested weekly planner:
MONDAY
Morning: Organize your day. Make follow-up calls. Generate computer job leads.
Afternoon: Send out resumes and e-mails. End the day with more follow-up calls.
TUESDAY THROUGH THURSDAY
Network, network, network.
Morning: “Spend time at a career center so you can stay in that work mode,” Carpenter said. “It encourages motivation and hope.”
Get outside, meet new contacts, follow leads. Check listings of professional events. Take advantage of networking groups and association luncheons.
“You have to stay in touch. You’ve got to get outside of your home. You don’t have to spend the bulk of your time online,” Carpenter said.
Afternoon: Mix it up. Business organizations and chambers of commerce often have free or low-cost evening mixers. “They get you in front of people,” Carpenter said.
FRIDAY
Wrap-up day. Follow up on your Tuesday-Thursday outreach with phone calls and e-mails. Plot your course for the next week.
