Getting a new job is a big job in itself. It can feel overwhelming. If you're currently employed, how do you find the time to work on it? If you're unemployed and prefer not to be, how do you stay positive and energized?Â
Job searching will never be easy. But it's much more manageable if you break it into smaller tasks. Your task list might look like this:
Update your resume
Pull together your references
Tweak your LinkedIn profile (or build one if you've never had one)
Draft a cover letter that can be tweaked for the individual job
Post your resume on job sites
Look for jobs in your area of interest/expertise
Identify companies for which you might like to work
Reach out to people in your network
If those tasks still feel too big, break them down even further. To update your resume:
Find your old resume
Identify key words you'd like to include
Gather dates of employment and titles
Brainstorm a summary of qualifications
Write 5 bullet points for each job, or if that feels like too much
Write 5 bullet points for one job
Ask a friend for help writing it or proofreading it
And so on...
Breaking tasks down also helps you create or maintain momentum. You may not like the traditional first or second task of a process, but if you can accomplish the third, you then have more energy to tackle the others. If the tasks aren't sequential, you have lots of choices. So if you don't feel like working on your resume today, you can still spend time researching companies, looking for jobs, or reaching out to other people.Â
Smaller challenges are also easier when broken into tasks. For someone like me, "Plan the kids' birthday party" feels huge and stressful. But when I look at it in terms of specific to-dos, it feels way easier.
Pick a theme
Choose a date
Invite family members
Plan the menu
Purchase decorations
Purchase paper products
And so on...
I've done this with business and self-development books I wanted to read (listing all the chapters, planning on reading one a day). I've done this with Toastmasters speeches. (I decided I wanted to achieve the Competent Communicator designation on my birthday so I looked at that date for speech #10 and then worked backwards to figure out how I was going to get my remaining six completed in 10 months). I've done this with converting to online bill-paying (instead of tackling all our bills at once, each time a bill came in, I followed the process to transition to e-billing). I've done this when encouraging my kids to clean their rooms. (First, pick up all the books. Then work on the clothes. Now it's time to pick up Legos.)
Almost anything is easier to achieve if you break it down.