Give It More Time
Why you need take your job search process seriously
Good, better, best. Never let it rest. 'Til your good is better and your better is best
— St. Jerome
I recently spoke to a job seeker looking for a career opportunity. Let’s call him Chris for simplicity.
Chris had been applying to jobs over a couple of months and had yet to land his dream role. According to him, it was perhaps one of the most daunting moments of his life.
Why?
Chris is a fresh graduate who just completed his degree in engineering. He hasn’t got a lot of experience under his belt and hopes to find work in the industry as an Engineer.
Like many job seekers, I can imagine Chris’ situation.
It’s hard not to have to work and earn an income. Chris needed to look after himself and his family. He understands he needs to find work.
After I spoke to Chris, I was slightly surprised at the handling of his job search process. He didn’t seem to be doing enough. Interestingly, his challenge is putting good time into finding work. Chris would occasionally apply for a job every couple of days.
During our conversation, I told him he wasn’t doing enough and needed to do more to boost his chances of securing a role.
My reasons are simple:
The More You Try, The Higher Your Chances
You can’t quench your thirst with a few drops of water.
Like everything else in life, the more you try, the higher your chances of success.
For example, if you tried to learn a new skill and only committed one hour per week, then your odds of mastering that skill are significantly lower than someone who does it daily for four hours.
It’s simple; more consistent and focused action leads to higher chances of results.
It’s similar to a job search too. You need to put in more effort to increase your odds of getting the desired results.
Chris only applies to a job every couple of days and expects to get a result. Unfortunately, he would need to put more time into his job search to get more results than just casually applying in hopes of landing a role.
Job Hunting Is A Job Itself.
Job hunting is a job in itself.
You need to treat your job search like you have a job.
What do I mean by that?
You must get up daily with a dedicated time to looking for work.
For example, if you are primarily available in the early hours, then prepare to spend a couple of hours every morning on your job search.
Of course, you don’t have to send your resumes online for the duration of the period—any step you take to advance your job search counts towards the entire process.
This activity could be growing your network online or researching a company. The key message is to dedicate a specific number of daily hours to looking for work.
You might ask, but how many hours is sufficient to commit to this process?
Well, it depends on your personal situation. Ideally, if you need a job like your life depends on air, then be prepared to dedicate several hours daily to your job search.
The more urgent you need to land the role, the more hours you should put in. As I said, looking for work is a job, so be prepared to dedicate quality time to it.
Closing Thoughts
Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can. — Arthur Ashe
Looking for a job can be daunting for many job seekers. Not that there are no jobs but more because it can take time to find one.
Depending on how quickly you want to land this role, dedicating daily time to your job search can help significantly.
You need to treat your job search as a job. Wake up daily with a dedicated number of hours fed into your job search process.
Remember, the more time you strategically dedicate to your job search, the higher your chances of landing the role you want.
You can’t quench your thirst with a few drops of water.
Thank you for reading this week’s edition of your favourite newsletter. I wish you the best.
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