Does looking for jobs feel like a full time job?

When you set your mind on finding a new job, it’s tempting to check if there’s anything new every day, a few times a day. 

On the first day of your search, you might get overwhelmed by the amount of jobs you want to apply for. 

But you’ll quickly start seeing the same jobs over and over again and get the feeling that there’s nothing new. 

Don’t let your approach to looking for jobs affect your motivation and enthusiasm and ruin your chance to get a job you love. 

The secret to keep going when you look for a job, is to make it a habit that is easy to maintain. 

And are 3 simple steps to put your search on Autopilot:

1. Sign up to relevant job boards

Pick a few job boards and create a full profile with your contact details and a CV. 

Adding a CV will make the process a lot quicker when you apply for jobs and means that recruiters can also find your profile and contact you with potential opportunities.

I recommend no more than two generalist job boards (LinkedIn, Monster, Indeed, Glassdoor) and a couple specialist ones only if you are searching for something very specific (for your specialism, industry, location, etc.).

The reality is that companies often post their jobs on multiple job boards so if you sign up for too many you will just end up wasting time looking at the same jobs. 

2. Search using relevant keywords

Take about an hour to run job searches and experiment with a few job titles and skill sets until you’re happy with the jobs you see. 

Just look at the job titles and focus on the first page of results. If a role catches your eye while you’re looking, open it in a new tab and look at it later. 

The point of this exercise is to figure out what keywords bring the most relevant jobs for you. 

3. Set up your job alerts

Now you know what gives you the best results, save your searches and sign up for weekly notifications to be sent to you. 

I advise that you set up all your job alerts to arrive on the same day, ideally in the morning, so you have all day to check your emails and apply, and pick a day when you know you will have time to submit your applications. 

That’s it! 

You do not need to burn yourself out looking for jobs all day, every day. 

Instead, just dedicate a bit of time every week to review your job alerts and apply for the jobs you like.  

And for the rest of the week, just relax!

Or do something more productive with your time, like updating your CV, perfecting examples for your interviews, etc.

Feeling bad about dropping the daily job search or want to take your search to the next level?

Try this:

Schedule 15 minutes every day, to spend on LinkedIn. But not doing some mindless scrolling, NO! 

Adding connections, speaking to them (crazy I know), engaging with your feed by liking, commenting and sharing people’s posts and, if you feel brave, using your voice to get noticed.