Author: Lavie Margolin, Career Coach
Searching for a job today is like a full time job plus overtime. Spending the time searching for leads, networking, changing your cover letter and resume for every job can be exhausting. In New York, when you work five hours (or thereabouts), you are entitled to a half hour break. Why not when you are looking for a job? If you take a ‘healthy’ break it can only reinvigorate your search.
What is a healthy break?
1) Taking a walk outside to get some sunlight.
2) Having a nutritious treat that gives you energy, such as a salad or fruit.
3) Reading a book that opens you to new ideas and creative thought.
4) Exercising.
What can be an unhealthy break that will sap your energy and hurt your job search productivity?
1) Eating greasy, heavy foods that will make you feel tired instead of reinvigorated.
2) Playing video games instead of getting any sunlight. Your eyes will be even more tired when going back to looking at a computer screen for leads.
3) Playing online poker. If you lose money, it will be hard to put the thoughts aside whenit is time to go back to the job searching part of your day. If you make money, it can be a temptation to keep going (until you inevitably lose that money).
4) Smoking or heavy drinking.
Facebook can be something in between. If you only turn it on during your breaks and feel refreshed by chatting with friends, it can be good but if you are constantly Instant Messaged or distracted by updates when you should be concentrating on looking for work, it is a negative.
About the Author: Lavie Margolin is a New York-based Career Coach and the author of Lion Cub Job Search: Practical Job Search Assistance for Practical Job Seekers. To learn more, go to Lavie’s website, Lion Cub Job Search:www.Lioncubjobsearch.com