Prioritizing Your Job Search While Holding Down a Full-Time Job
Episode 453 | Author: Emilie Aries
How do you make time for your job search when you’re already working full-time?
Searching for a new job can often feel like a full-time endeavor itself. So, what are you supposed to do when you still have a full-time job? How do you prioritize finding a new career path that inspires and invigorates you without completely exhausting yourself in the process?
If it’s a matter of a week or so, sure, you can go full-tilt, scouring job boards into the wee hours of the morning and pushing through your workdays bleary-eyed and fuzzy-brained. But the reality of the modern job market is that it usually takes a whole lot longer—in fact, the average time to hire for a position went from 40 to 44.5 days in just five years.
You can’t sprint nonstop for months on end, so here are some tips for prioritizing sustainability over the sprint and making meaningful progress on your job search.
Script your next moves
When your job search time is precious, you want to be able to dive right into the most productive steps as soon as your window of opportunity opens. If you’ve already brainstormed a list of meaningful actions to take, you can skip the mental work of deciding what’s next and instead, jump right in and get going.
Keep your list of SMART to-dos (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound) stocked up with useful goals, not just vanity metrics. When you’re coming off a full day at work, changing your LinkedIn photo for the fourth time might feel like a morale-boosting task—at least it’s something—but it’s unlikely to be as impactful as, say, taking the next step toward an essential certification or reaching out to the first couple of names on your networking list. Listen to the episode Grow Your Professional Network In The New Year for some practical tips for growing this list.
Solidify your job application strategy
One of the steps on your to-do list, of course, is to apply for jobs. But going at this in an ad-hoc manner, skimming the listings with one eye while you watch TV in the evenings, is inefficient. Here’s an example of the kind of job search routine I suggest instead:
Decide on one day a week when you will browse the new postings. Sit down for an hour or so and comb through them, earmarking the best ones. You can set a goal for the number of applications you want to send per week; even one is a great place to start.
Schedule time the following day to start the process for the prospective job you’ve prioritized. Even if there are a few promising leads that week, single out the best one. Get your resume shored up and create the first (possibly crappy) version of your cover letter. Check out the episode Your Cover Letter Is Better With Bullet Points for some tips!
Rather than painstakingly drafting and redrafting and getting into a perfection procrastination loop, let that first draft sit overnight. Wait a day or two, let it simmer in the back of your mind, before you go back to tweak it or seek feedback from a friend or family member.
Identify a day of the week by which point you hope to release the most recent application out into the world.
This process keeps you accountable in a sustainable way. Just make sure you’re tracking how many applications you’re submitting. That’s your #1 KPI (key performance indicator) for your job search!
A caveat to this: even the best-laid plans hit snags. If you’ve chosen Thursday as your application deliver-by date and sometimes they don’t get out til Saturday—hey, you’ve still hit your weekly goal. Remember that you have another full-time job, plus full-time adulting going on in the wings, Go easy on yourself!
Decide what gets deprioritized
As someone who fully supports the importance of striking a balance in life and work, this third tip stings a bit to share, but it’s a reality when job searching is your side hustle: you’re going to have to give something up.
I spent the last year job search mode myself, and this is one of my top takeaways. From the start, I knew what I wasn’t willing to give up: quality time with family. Those hours between daycare pickup and bedtime are a non-negotiable no-work time for me, and that meant I had to find time elsewhere.
This ended up being the two-ish sweet hours between my 2-year-old son’s bedtime and my own. Once he was down for the night, I dedicated myself to checking things off my own SMART to-do list. Much as I might be craving the couch, I said goodbye to staring at the TV or reading a book. What I found was that what started out as an exhausting add-on, over time became energizing as the new narrative I was creating for myself started to unfold.
The important piece here is to make a conscious decision about what you’re going to let slide. If you don’t, the choice is going to be made for you, and a lot of the time, it’s the job search itself that you’ll wind up putting off.
So, make the difficult choice. And if you have to bribe yourself with a post-hustle reward like a cookie or an episode of your favorite mindless show…hey, do what you gotta do. Tempting my sweet tooth certainly worked for me!
I want to end by assuring you that I know what a ridiculous slog the job search has become. These steps are important, but they definitely aren’t easy. The time commitment required to find a job these days is outrageous—I hear you and I wholeheartedly agree.
Have you figured out what does (or doesn’t) work for you in the part-time job search? Come by the Courage Community on Facebook or join us in our group on LinkedIn to share your experience and what you’ve learned along the way.
If you’re at a loss about what to do next, consider our HIRED Job Search Accelerator. It’s an on-demand, binge-able course geared to helping you navigate the nuances of the modern job search.
Related Links From Today’s Episode:
Episode 435, Grow Your Professional Network in the New Year
Episode 449, Your Cover Letter is Better With Bullet Points
Episode 450, Entrepreneurship vs. Employment: Building a Blended Career
Switch: How to Change Things When Change is Hard by Chip and Dan Heath
Drop the Ball: Achieving More by Doing Less by Tiffany Dufu
S*** First Drafts by Anne Lamott
Time To Hire Factbook by Josh Bersin
HIRED: my Job Search Accelerator
Accelerate your job search now:
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EMILIE: Hey, and welcome to the Bossed Up podcast, episode 453. I'm your host, Emilie Aries, the founder and CEO of Bossed Up. And today I'm breaking down one of the most common conundrums that gets in the way of so many job seekers these days.
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And that is just how do you make time for the job search when you already have a full time job? So what's the problem exactly? Right? You're overwhelmed. Maybe you're burnt out, and for whatever reason, you're over the job you have. And yet the job you have feels like one of the biggest barriers standing in the way of finding your next job. So how can you realistically prioritize your job search when it feels like today in 2024, especially, the job search is a full time job in and of itself? For the purposes of today's conversation, I want to really prioritize sustainability over the sprint, because you can definitely sacrifice over the short term, maybe dial it in at work a little bit more, let everything else at home go to s***, and just like, binge job search in a short term kind of sprint kind of way. But I don't think that cuts it in today's day and age, the modern job search takes longer than it used to. So instead of just putting everything in your life on the back burner to prioritize your job search, I really want to break down how you can make space in your life, that's probably already very full and very crowded, for a job search, even if it feels like the job you have that you no longer want is one of the biggest barriers in the way.
Also, for the sake of today's conversation, I'm bringing one other assumption to the table that I should probably identify. And that is, I'm going to assume that at this point, in figuring out how to sustain your job search, you've already gotten some sense of direction, you have some semblance of where you're going and what you want to do next, because if not, there's a whole different conversation to be had around how to create space for exploration and networking. And I've got a great episode on how to grow your network in 2024 that I'll link you to. But I want to presume today that you're already in the thick of it. It's just a logistics conundrum at this point. Like, how do I actually make time to go through the motions to get my next job?
My first piece of advice is to script your next moves. This is a great takeaway from the book Switch: How to Change Things When Change is Hard by Dan and Chip, which I'm constantly referencing for its many lessons on behavior change. But what they essentially say is that when you find that little tiny window of time to sit down and make progress on your job search, you don't want to be staring at a blank document wondering, okay, where do I begin? You want to have already brainstormed a list of meaningful actions, small goals, and preferably smart goals, right? That are, what is it? Strategic, measurable, actionable, relevant, and time bound, I want to say. So, like being strategic about really thinking about are these actual goals that are going to move me forward in my job search, or are these vanity metrics that are just gonna make me feel a little less insecure, but perhaps not actually move the needle on the job search? For example, you know, polishing my headshot on LinkedIn for the 17th time might make you feel more prepared, but has it actually done anything to increase opportunities in your job search? Maybe, maybe not. Debatable. The goal here is, when you finally do find that little window of time, I don't want you to have to think too much. I want you to be able to just dive right in to the next on your list. So if you've got skills gaps to close, like you want to get certified in some, you know, part of your profession, to get a new certification or get some continuing education, make sure those next moves are very well mapped out. If you want to reconnect with your network, write the first five names of people you want to reconnect with down and then work that list. If you want to polish up your resume and your cover letter, let's talk about, kind of finding a job search routine for how you can revive your materials for this modern job search and customize them for every application that goes out the door.
Which brings me to my next key point here. I think it's really important to get down to brass tacks and make clear to yourself what a manageable but measurable goal is for submitting quality job applications. At the end of the day, it's really important to be tracking the applications that are going out the door. That is your number one KPI, or Key Performing Indicator to give you a sense of how many rings you've thrown your hat into. Even if you are working your network primarily, even if you're at the stage in your career where you feel like your personal brand is going to bring opportunities your way, you still have to apply for those opportunities when you are invited to, right? So, tracking applications is key.
Now, if you've got a full time job, you're probably not going to be applying to the same volume, the same number of applications or job openings than someone who might be job searching full time. So make a meaningful but measurable goal. Like, perhaps one application a week is a healthy place to start. And the goal here is not just sheer quantity. It's not. Oh, I applied to five jobs this week. That's five times as great as just applying to one. It's making sure that those are being submitted with quality, too. So I always suggest to all of my clients in our Hired job search accelerator to get yourself on a job search routine that feels repeatable and that feels sustainable. For instance, I recommend scouring all the job boards at one time a week. Maybe it's Monday nights, you spend some time scouring the job boards and then you gotta cut yourself off from that. Because if you just spend every evening after work half watching tv and half browsing LinkedIn and looking for job openings on your phone, it feels, it's like giving you a false sense of progress. Because you're like, I'm job searching, but it's not actual progress. Right? So we have to, I think, manage that time, especially the time we spend in just sourcing opportunities. So perhaps on Monday, you focus on finding the new opportunities that have been posted in the last week and committing, let's say, by Tuesday to, this is the job I'm applying to that week. And once you've committed to, okay, this is my top priority for getting an application in. Or perhaps there's a big week, like maybe you see three jobs on Monday that you're like, these are all exciting. And you say, okay, I want to apply to all three of these, which is my number one priority, which will I commit to starting with, and then focus there. How will I customize my resume for that job? And this should get easier and easier over time, right? It doesn't need to take an entire hour or two to customize your resume if you're applying for similar roles. That said, in the beginning, when it perhaps has been a long time since you've updated your resume, that is going to take longer.
So, just give yourself some grace if you're starting off slow and you're like, hours per application ratio is not great, it will improve over time. So let's say by Tuesday you commit to which job you're applying to that week, and maybe you draft your s****** first draft, to use Anne Lamott's term, or she calls it an SFD version of your resume for that job in particular. And then you go to bed. You let it be s***** overnight, right? Leave it alone for 24 hours and come back to it the next night or the night after 24 to 48 hours later. Look at it with fresh eyes. Re-read the job description. Re-read your resume. Fix what doesn't make sense because I guarantee you, with some distance and some space and time, you will have a better perspective to bring to what might be improved and then polish off a cover letter. I have a great formula for how to make cover letter writing both effective but also really efficient and speedy that I podcasted about back on episode 449, Your Cover Letter Is Better With Bullet Points. Definitely check that out. It can help you increase your speed while not sacrificing your quality.
And then perhaps in your perfect world, you know your job search routine says that by Thursday you're ready to submit. And maybe you build in a little bit of buffer by saying, by Thursday I'll be prepared to submit my application. You're prepared for life's kind of need for a contingency buffer, right? Things don't always happen. Your week can get off track and things go off the rails rather quickly. Especially, I'm a working parent right now who's podcasting this way too late at night. So if I sound a little off my game, that's why. Because I had a sick toddler at home all day today, right? Like, things come up, deadlines get pushed. So if you aim for Thursday and you get it in by Saturday, that's still meeting your expectation of submitting one quality job application per week. So kind of build in some buffer for yourself. The weeks in which you're just trying to keep your head above water, you will appreciate that buffer. The weeks when you are absolutely cruising and you have more time than you anticipated. Maybe you can double your benchmark and get two applications done with quality that week.
So set yourself up with some realistic expectations. And don't forget to lower the bar for your own drafts. Like embrace the SFD concept because it'll enable you to get out of that perfectionist procrastination spiral and just go to bed with something half baked that is not ready for prime time. And then the next day, if you still don't like what you see, bring in some backup. Ask a loved one to read it for you to give you their two cents, to get an outsider's perspective. If giving yourself 24 to 48 hours doesn't kind of elicit that sort of distanced perspective that you were really hoping for. Ask for feedback from your friends and family. They're here to help. They don't know how. So that's a concrete way to bring in some support.
The final thing I'll say here, and I don't like love giving this advice, is to frankly just acknowledge that as a job seeker with a full time job, assuming that you're not job searching on the clock, assuming that you have to actually job search on your personal time, and the lunch hour is just not an option, I encourage you to really make the most of your nights and weekends. I went through this myself in the last year. You know, I was working my tail off to keep our doors open at Bossed Up and to really kind of lead a pivot. A turnaround story in 2023, which I get into quite a bit more in the past few months on this podcast, but particularly in episode 450, Entrepreneurship vs. Employment Building A Blended Career. But I was applying for jobs that entire time, right? I was navigating some big life stuff while trying to put an overdrive at Bossed Up. I was also getting my resume, like, back in shape after over a decade of not applying to a single job, because I had this business and I love this business.
And so, when I started to reimagine my career and get myself back in the job search game, I had to really decide, what am I willing to give up in order to make space for this next chapter in my life? What am I going to give up? And I was not willing to give up the quality time that I have with my family, specifically between the hours of like 05:00 p.m. at daycare pickup and 08:00 p.m. when Max goes down for the night, more or less now, creeping up until like 09:00 p.m., lately, which is not good. But like, that is not a sacred time that I was willing to give up and say to my partner, although I very much could have because I'm very fortunate to have a kick ass partner. I could have said, hey, sponsor me, you deal with the dinner hour between five and eight, and I'm going to go job search. But instead I said after 08:00, that sacred little window of like one to 2 hours, when I might, I don't know, relax or read or let's be real, just watch some tv and like, veg out on my phone, scrolling on Instagram reels. That is what I'm going to give up. And that was my precious window in which I got certified as a senior professional in HR through HRCI I studied for this exam and took this exam. That's the precious window in which I recreated my resume for the first time in over a decade. And that was the precious window of time in which I started applying regularly for jobs, and really expanding my horizons. And at first it was exhausting because I was lacking in rest. And then it was energizing because it started to create this new narrative about myself. And I got excited and it also got easier over time. The beginning was really hard, but I kind of felt like I got the hang of it. I was exploring what was out there and it did lead me to an amazing opportunity that I talked all about in that episode just a couple weeks back now.
The other thing I gave up that I was consciously willing to just Drop The Ball on, to borrow Tiffany Dufu’s term from her excellent book of that same title, is keeping a super tidy house. And like, you know, that was not an easy thing because we really like to keep a pretty tidy house around here, especially when stress is high. But letting go of the rest that I barely had in that time, letting go of the cleanliness standards that usually like, makes me feel less anxious was a conscious choice about what am I willing to sacrifice? Because something has to give, quite frankly. So when you're looking at your calendar and you're being realistic with yourself about, okay, what time do I have to work with? I am not saying that those choices are easy, but you either make those choices consciously or you will unconsciously have those choices just made for you by default, which often looks like not prioritizing your job search at all. And that can go on for a really long time.
The other last thing I'll say on this, and this is so real for me, is sometimes bribing yourself helps. Like, I would have to really pull myself off the couch at 08:00 p.m. When Max finally went down for the night and be like, oh my god, I don't feel like job searching tonight. And yet, I know what I need to do. I know what I said I would do. What treat am I going to give myself at the end of, whether it was scouring the job boards or polishing up my resume, what little treat am I going to treat myself with? And yes, in my case, it was often related to my sweet tooth. But more on that, we have to do an upcoming episode on blood sugar regulation because that's been a whole other journey in recent months. But honestly, like, whatever you need to do to treat yourself, maybe I'll treat myself with a short episode of something on Netflix at the end of my job search, once I can actually celebrate doing my part, because this is the thing the job search drags on these days. I mean, the time to hire in 2023 rose to 44 and a half days from just 40 days back in 2019, according to Josh Bersin Research, which provides great HR data from several thousands of companies. So this job search nowadays is just so long. The time to hire per position is significantly longer than it used to be. And so in a process that feels so very much out of your control, all you can really do is celebrate doing your part, holding up your end of the bargain. And so that comes with sacrifice. Those choices aren't easy, but make those choices consciously and celebrate yourself for putting in the best effort that you possibly can to create a new opportunity for yourself.
A big part of job searching today is just resilience and determination. And I know that sounds trite. For those of you listening who are like Emilie I am 300 job applications in, this is insane. It is insane. This is a weird market, and I just want to validate how exhausting and frustrating and just strange and bewildering it can feel for really qualified individuals who've never struggled to get a job before, to all of a sudden have a real tough time doing it. That is the story I'm hearing over and over again from lots of different people, and I lived it myself. So, for a lot more on how to navigate the job search and how to prioritize making time for the job search when you have a full time job. My Hired program, our job search accelerator here at Bossed Up, is an on demand, bingeable, step by step job search course for the modern job search. It is truly crazy out there right now, and if you want to have the best tips and tricks at your fingertips, I highly recommend checking it out bossedup.org/gethired and in just a couple more weeks, I'm going to continue this conversation for those folks who are job searching full time. Because as challenging as it is to make time for the job search, when you are dragged down by your day job that you no longer want, the flip side of that coin is just as challenging, and it comes with a unique set of solutions. So stay tuned for that coming up. For a full, shareable blog post, as well as a transcript of today's episode, head to bossedup.org/episode453. That's bossedup.org/episode453.
And now I'm really want to hear from you. What has the job search meant to you lately or how has it treated you? If you are in the thick of it, if you're someone with a full time job who's been thinking about exploring what's next for you and you have no idea how to make time or how to get started, I want to hear from you too.
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Let's keep the conversation going, as always, in the Bossed Up Courage Community on Facebook or in our Bossed Up group on LinkedIn. And it's until next time, let's keep bossin’ in pursuit of our purpose. And together, let's lift as we climb.
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