6 Simple Ways to Maximize Your Job Search Productivity

6 Simple Ways to Maximize Your Job Search Productivity6 Simple Ways to Maximize Your Job Search ProductivityBy now, you probably know that searching for a job takes a lot of time. But, it also takes a lot of focus. After a couple of hours of job searching - of clicking through to the very last page of job listings of writing and re-writing cover letter after cover letter - youll likely to be tempted to switch gears and check your Facebook, read the news or scroll Instagram. But those minutes of wasted time add up, and after a couple of weeks, they can seriously cut into your job search productivity. Fortunately, searching for your dream job doesnt have to be a painful experience. With the right planning, you can maximize your efforts and get the fruchtwein out of the time you set aside for job searching. Heres how. 6 Simple Ways to Maximize Your Job Search Productivity 1. Create a job search plan. Dont just job search whenever, wherever. Analyze your weekly schedule and find wind ows of time for job searching, then block out that time and stick to your schedule. If youre super busy, know that you may need to be creative about finding time to look for a job. Perhaps you can sneak in an hour before breakfast, after dinner or on the weekends. It can also be helpful to break down the job search process into different categories for example, maybe on Monday you look for jobs for two hours on Wednesday, you draft and review your materials and submit your applications and you use Fridays for follow-ups. 2. Make your dedicated job search time truly dedicated. Once youve found that window of time, dont let everyday distractions dig into it. If possible, hole up at the library or at a cafe - someplace where two hours can truly be two hours, not two hours minus 30 minutes walking the dog or 15 minutes making your kids lunch. Its especially important to work in an environment where you can focus, so you can avoid making silly mistakes (like typos in your resume, submitt ing a cover letter you wrote for a different position, or misreading the application requirements) if youre distracted. 3. Try a distraction-blocking app. If social media (or self-discipline) is the culprit, try a distraction-blocking app (ColdTurkey is one option) through which youll be able to block time-sucking sites like Facebook, Buzzfeed, Pinterest, and so on. That way, youre guaranteed to get the fruchtwein out of the time you set aside to apply for jobs. Hint keeping your phone tucked away (or on airplane mode) and turning off the TV is very helpful, too. 4. Take advantage of time tracking. When you have a clock ticking, youre more likely to focus and get straight to the task at hand. Additionally, managing your time can also prevent you from burning out and feeling exhausted. Try the Pomodoro technique, in which you set aside 25-minute sprints followed by a 5-minute break to get a cup of coffee, stretch, or listen to a song. The Tomato Timer) is an online timer which utiliz es the Pomodoro technique. You can use it for free on their website. 5.Develop (and organize) strategic job search materials. Scrambling to write new cover letters or tweak your resume for every job you apply to is a huge time waste, and also leaves a lot of room for error. However, its important to personalize and customize your application materials for each job you apply to. You can easily accomplish this by creating a core cover letter that can be quickly edited for the position youre applying to. If youre applying for a few different types of jobs, write a cover letter for each type, and create different versions of your resume to go along with them. Then, youll have them on hand when youre ready to apply, and all you should need to do is change a couple of specifics. Store these in organized folders (either on your computer or on a platform like Google Drive or Dropbox) and use clear naming conventions so you dont gemisch anything up. 6. Keep track of what you do. Though it mi ght seem like a waste of time, keeping track of which jobs youve applied to, or considered applying to, will help you out in the long run. By having a spreadsheet or even a simple list that you keep handy, or somewhere on your computer, you can avoid applying for the same job twice, or reading the same job description over and over again. You will also have some sort of record that you can use as a metric to determine your level of success (meaning, how many responses or interview invitations you receive) with different types of jobs or companies.