If you are going through a personal crisis, such as a divorce, a bereavement, or a health issue, you may feel overwhelmed and stressed by your job search. However, you don't have to put your career goals on hold or miss important deadlines. Here are some tips on how to manage your job search deadlines during a personal crisis.
You may have multiple deadlines to meet, such as submitting applications, updating your resume, preparing for interviews, or following up with employers. However, not all tasks are equally urgent or important. To avoid feeling overwhelmed, prioritize your tasks based on their impact and urgency. For example, you can use the Eisenhower Matrix to categorize your tasks into four quadrants: do first, schedule, delegate, and eliminate. Focus on the tasks that are both urgent and important, and plan ahead for the ones that are important but not urgent. Delegate or outsource the tasks that are urgent but not important, and eliminate the ones that are neither urgent nor important.
The million-dollar question - what comes first - health or career? The answer from most of the pro-career professionals is career and money. But can we buy health from money? Once the health is damaged can we reverse it? Worst case, if something happens to you, will you be able to enjoy the rest of your life?
While it is good to have ambitious career goals, you also need to be realistic about what you can achieve in your current situation. If you are dealing with a personal crisis, you may not have the same energy, focus, or motivation as before. Therefore, you need to adjust your goals and expectations accordingly. For example, you can break down your larger goals into smaller and more manageable steps, and set realistic timelines for completing them. You can also use the SMART framework to make sure your goals are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound.
Ambition is important, in fact it is crucial to keep oneself motivated, but setting realistic goals is crucial. If you are preparing for job search and have not strategised and set realistic goals it might be difficult to see results. Execution is key here. Try and curate your vision and break the same down in achievable goals which will allow you to keep the momentum and achieve smaller goals faster. That will not only motivate you but will also help you achieve your long term goal sooner.
You don't have to go through your job search alone, especially when you are facing a personal crisis. You can seek support from various sources, such as your family, friends, mentors, coaches, counselors, or professional networks. For example, you can ask your family or friends to help you with some household chores, errands, or childcare, so that you can free up some time and energy for your job search. You can also ask your mentors, coaches, or counselors to provide you with guidance, feedback, or emotional support for your career challenges. Additionally, you can leverage your professional networks to get referrals, recommendations, or leads for potential opportunities.
One of the most important things you can do to manage your job search deadlines during a personal crisis is to take care of yourself. You need to maintain your physical, mental, and emotional well-being, so that you can cope with the stress and challenges of your situation. For example, you can practice some self-care activities, such as getting enough sleep, eating healthy, exercising regularly, meditating, journaling, or engaging in hobbies that make you happy. You can also set some boundaries and limits for your job search, such as scheduling some breaks, avoiding distractions, or saying no to requests that are not aligned with your goals.
If you're in between a personal crisis during a job search, first prioritize individual health and well being. Stay healthy and try to jot down the next steps in terms of what you want. Reach out to ex colleagues, firms and larger network, to get to where you want..
Finally, you need to be flexible and adaptable in your job search, especially when you are dealing with a personal crisis. You may encounter some unexpected changes, delays, or setbacks in your job search process, such as losing an opportunity, getting rejected, or facing a competitive market. However, you don't have to give up or lose hope. Instead, you can use these challenges as opportunities to learn, grow, and improve. For example, you can seek feedback, revise your strategy, explore new options, or acquire new skills. You can also embrace a growth mindset, which means that you believe that you can improve your abilities and outcomes through effort and persistence.
One thing I have found useful is to set time aside to block book activities. If you are actively searching for work and dealing with a personal crisis at the same time start by allocating really small chunks of time to focus on one thing. Spend 15 focused minutes looking up a jobs board, rather than 1 hour of distracted viewing. Also build in adequate time to rest and relax. Learning to adapt your job search strategy to match your mindset is so important. It's about quality not quantity of time spent.