How to Juggle a Full-Time Job and a Job Search

How to Juggle a Full-Time Job and a Job SearchHow to Juggle a Full-Time Job and a Job Search1No matter which way you slice it, job searching is a lot of work. In fact, your hunt for a new gig can often feel a lot like its own full-time job- which wouldnt be quite so bad if you didnt already have a regular 9-to-5 that you also need to keep up with.Yes, balancing a job hunt when youre still employed full-time can present some time-management challenges. But, the good news is that its not impossible- as long as youre willing to stay organized and hold yourself accountable.Here are five tips to help you successfully juggle a full-time job and a job search1. Be realistic.Theres a lot that goes into a job hunt, which means its easy to be a little overambitious with the goals you tischset for yourself. You want to apply to a lofty (perhaps even unattainable) number of open positions in a week or spend every waking moment perusing job boards.However, there are only so many hours in the day. And, even though youre job searching, youre still entitled to a little bit of downtime. So, make an effort to be realistic when mapping out how youll fit job searching in with the rest of your busy life. Otherwise, youll only set yourself up for disappointment.2. Break your job search into smaller pieces.When youre short on time to job search, your smartest move is to leverage any time that you do have to dedicate to your hunt. In order to effectively do that, its smart to have a roster of smaller tasks that you can be working on.From polishing up your LinkedIn profile or searching for company contacts to analyzing job descriptions or tailoring a resume, keep a running list of those smaller to-dos that need to be taken care of. That way, when you sit down to work on your job search, youll have some things you can get started with and make some progress on- rather than a vague and overwhelming objective of find a new job.3. Schedule your time.Heres the brutal truth if you tell yourse lf that youre going to work on your job search whenever you have the time, chances are good that youll rarely get around to actually working on it. Thats because, well, none of us ever really feel like we have a profit of free time.This is why its wise to create some sort of schedule that you can stick to (while remembering the golden rule of being as realistic as possible). Maybe you can dedicate two hours each weekend morning to looking for new gigs. Or, maybe youre going to set a rule that you need to invest an hour into your search each evening before you allow yourself to relax.By creating some sort of predictable schedule (and then holding yourself accountable), you can intentionally carve out the time thats required for a successful job hunt.4. Utilize small pockets of time.Scheduling can be a big help, but that doesnt mean that you can only sink your teeth into your job search during those designated hours.Keep an eye out for small pockets of time that you would otherwise be wasting. Those 15 minutes that youre spending in the dentists waiting room while flipping through an eight-month-old magazine? Thats a great time to peruse job boards on your phone. When you arrive a little early for coffee with a friend? Use that time to run through your answers to some common interview questions.Of course, you dont always need to be in work or job search mode But, if there are some small chunks of time that you only wouldve been wasting anyway, it doesnt hurt to leverage those moments to your advantage.5. Go easy on yourself.Even with the best of intentions, you arent going to be flawless. Despite what your meticulously mapped out schedule says, there will be nights when you would rather park yourself on the couch than quantify the bullet points on your resume.Its to be expected- particularly when youre spreading yourself a little thin between your job search and your full-time role. In those moments, give yourself a quick reminder that youre doing the best you c an and then show yourself some mercy. Youll bounce back tomorrowStart Your Job Search