Tip No.
140
Q.
I took a break and put my job search off during the holidays to spend time with my family. I had been doing very well and getting a lot of good job leads before I took a break, but now I feel like I have to start all over again, and I don't know where to start. Do you have any suggestions?
A.
You are not alone in this dilemma! Many people in the midst of a career transition "take a break" from their job search during the holidays, believing that the holiday season is not a good time to look for a job. Try not to feel discouraged and overwhelmed.
We are about to begin a brand new year and now is the time for new beginnings. You will not have to start from scratch, as you sound like you have already made some progress in your search. You will, however, need to develop a plan of action, just as you did at the beginning of your job search.
The first step is to review what you have already accomplished in your search and get reorganized. What happened to those good job leads? What have you done to follow up on them? What were the results of your follow-up? Have you been able to reach everyone you have already tried to contact? If not, you may want to go back and try to contact them again. Look over the advice, suggestions, and referrals you have already received from those with whom you have already networked. Have you followed up on these? If you have, congratulate yourself! If not, make a plan to do so. After you review your progress, the next step will be to reorganize and reprioritize your contact list and set a schedule for yourself for getting started the first week of January. It may be slow going at first and hard to get back in the swing of things, but remember, once you get that momentum going, keep it up!
Returning to your job search after the holidays is just like returning from any vacation. It always takes some time to catch up and get back into your everyday patterns after you have been in a "holiday state of mind". The best way to be successful in your job search is to treat it like a job and work at it 40 hours a week! Now that the vacation is over, try to get your mind back on the task at hand and put all your energy into your job search efforts and I'm sure you will be successful!
Best of luck to you!
If you have a question for CMI, please
send email to jobbox@cmi-lmi.com
with "Question for CMI" in the subject line.
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Tip No. 140 |
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Q. I took a break and put my job search off during the holidays to spend time with my family. I had been doing very well and getting a lot of good job leads before I took a break, but now I feel like I have to start all over again, and I don't know where to start. Do you have any suggestions? |
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A. You are not alone in this dilemma! Many people in the midst of a career transition "take a break" from their job search during the holidays, believing that the holiday season is not a good time to look for a job. Try not to feel discouraged and overwhelmed. We are about to begin a brand new year and now is the time for new beginnings. You will not have to start from scratch, as you sound like you have already made some progress in your search. You will, however, need to develop a plan of action, just as you did at the beginning of your job search. The first step is to review what you have already accomplished in your search and get reorganized. What happened to those good job leads? What have you done to follow up on them? What were the results of your follow-up? Have you been able to reach everyone you have already tried to contact? If not, you may want to go back and try to contact them again. Look over the advice, suggestions, and referrals you have already received from those with whom you have already networked. Have you followed up on these? If you have, congratulate yourself! If not, make a plan to do so. After you review your progress, the next step will be to reorganize and reprioritize your contact list and set a schedule for yourself for getting started the first week of January. It may be slow going at first and hard to get back in the swing of things, but remember, once you get that momentum going, keep it up! Returning to your job search after the holidays is just like returning from any vacation. It always takes some time to catch up and get back into your everyday patterns after you have been in a "holiday state of mind". The best way to be successful in your job search is to treat it like a job and work at it 40 hours a week! Now that the vacation is over, try to get your mind back on the task at hand and put all your energy into your job search efforts and I'm sure you will be successful! |
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If you have a question for CMI, please send email to jobbox@cmi-lmi.com with "Question for CMI" in the subject line. |
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