Structuring Your Job Search: Tips for a Productive Day

Job searching is hard in so many ways. In addition to the stress of looking for a job, it can be challenging to figure out how to spend your time and how to keep going day after day, especially when there is no set structure or routine. 

I dealt with a lack of structure when moving from a corporate job to working on my own. Getting used to the lack of routine in my days has taken some adjusting. Also as a career coach, I work with people that are job searching and for them, the unstructured time can feel a bit overwhelming. I have by no means mastered this, but I have adapted some practices that work for me and for my clients. Job searching is hard. I’m hoping to help make it a tiny bit easier.

What to Work On

First figure out what you are going to work on each week. A lot of job searching involves doing many of the same tasks over and over again, so first identify what those are and set weekly goals around them. Think about a typical week and what you would like to get done in that week. Be specific about the repeatable things you would like to accomplish. 

Here are some examples for things you may want to do every week: 

• Apply to 15 jobs

• Reach out to two people in your network

• Spend two and half hours brushing up on a skill

Then at the beginning of each week, visit what you want to accomplish and make any tweaks as necessary. In addition to the consistent tasks, add in tasks that come up that week as part of job searching. For example, you may have an interview coming up that you need to prepare for or a coffee meeting scheduled. 

Each morning pull things from your weekly list to decide what to work on. Try to keep your daily goals as realistic as possible. Keep pulling from the weekly list until you have accomplished what you need to accomplish for the week.

Also create a system to track the work that needs to be done. It could be a to-do list posted somewhere. It could be a spreadsheet with all of the action items. Or maybe it’s a calendar reminder for what you need to do that day or that week. Have it be something that you can see and/or look at often. Keep it up to date as you accomplish tasks.

Break the Day Up

Break the day up into chunks of time. A whole day can feel overwhelming and that can lead to avoiding the work we need to do. So do what you can to make the day approachable.

First create at least one dedicated time to work each day that is consistent. This time shouldn’t change and ideally is the first slot of the day. Don’t schedule things over this. Honor this time.

Now that you have a dedicated time slot, use it to get the one or two most important things for the day done first. When you’ve done the most important things first, you create positive momentum that can carry on through the rest of the day. Also it’s nice to start the day with a feeling of pride and accomplishment.

Next determine how to break up the rest of your day. You could try to divide it up into the morning and the afternoon. Or maybe you prefer to get everything you need to get done in the morning and then you can have the rest of the day to do things that are restorative.

When you figure out what type of schedule works for you, block it off on your calendar. Create some structure around it. Also schedule in time for things like exercise, walks, and short breaks.

Create Small Goals

Looking at a long to-do list also can be overwhelming. Similar to breaking your day into smaller pieces, you can break your work into smaller goals. You can try breaking what you need to do into smaller pieces using one of the following methods.

Timer-based

Try to set a timer on your watch and work uninterrupted for 20 minutes. I recommend 20 minutes, because it doesn’t sound like very much time, but you can surprisingly get a lot done if you work completely uninterrupted for that amount of time.

I like using the timer-based method for things that may not have a clear ‘done’ point, such as updating a resume. You can work on it for 20 minutes and then come back to it with fresh eyes for another 20 minutes later in the day. This also is helpful for things like studying or preparing for an interview.

If you get the urge to do something else during this time, tell yourself you just need to wait for the timer to go off and then you can do that other thing.

If the timer goes off and you are in flow or enjoying what you’re doing, keep working. If not, move on to something else or take a quick break and then set another timer for 20 minutes a bit later.

Task-based

Sometimes things on your to-do list revolve around getting a task done. You can set goals to accomplish one or two tasks at a time.

Examples of these include applying for a job, setting up coffee with someone, or drafting an email.

Side note: yes, I think it’s okay to create a task for drafting an email. Then you can create another task for actually sending the email. Sending an email, especially when job searching, can feel vulnerable. So breaking it down into smaller steps can make it more approachable.

Figure out how many tasks you want to accomplish and then when they are complete, you can take a quick break. After your break, you can focus on your next goal.

Take Care of Yourself 

Acknowledgement

When you are job searching, there often isn’t anyone acknowledging you, so put in structure to recognize the work you are doing. At the end of each day, write down three things you did well or that you accomplished. Try to do this every day to keep the focus on your positive momentum and hard work.

Also lean on your support system and let them know that in these hard times, acknowledgement and support is extremely helpful and important to you. Let them know that you would love any extra encouragement or support they can provide. 

Make Time for Activities That Are Nourishing

This is so important. It can be tempting to want to work all day and apply to as many jobs as possible, but you also need to take time for yourself each day. Ideally it’s not with a screen, because you’ve been in front of one for most of the day. Think about activities that may include fresh air, movement, connecting with others, connecting with nature, or connecting with yourself.

Looking for a job is hard work. You are doing great. Keep it up.