Navigating My Nearly Year-Long Job Hunt

Last week, I shared a series of posts on LinkedIn about my nearly year-long job hunt. The positive response from the community has been overwhelming (thank you!), I appreciate all the support and feedback. Initially I didn’t intend to write a blog, but I thought I’d share a summary of my journey to consolidate my posts here after all.

Money worries

My job hunt began with assessing my finances. Much like the startups I’ve been working in for years, I calculated my "runway" – the amount of time I could sustain myself while searching for a job. To extend this period, I:

1. Cut Spending: Identified and reduced non-essential expenses. Frankly, a well-overdue exercise for me in general!

2. Temporary Work: Took on various jobs, including packing boxes in a warehouse, working in a call center, and freelancing as a Recruiter and Community Manager. These roles helped pay my bills and eased the financial pressure.

Managing Mental Health

Job hunting when you’re also living without your regular income and routine is undeniably stressful. Maintaining my mental health was essential, and here’s how I balanced things:

1. Exercise: focusing on my fitness provided structure and a sense of accomplishment.

2. Therapy: This non-negotiable expense offered support, even when sessions weren't focused on job hunting.

3. Family & Friends: Quality time with loved ones uplifted my spirits.

4. Journaling: A new habit that proved instrumental in managing emotions, especially during periods when therapy sessions were spaced out. Based on the comments, this one resonated with lots of you! I might do a follow up post on how I got into this.

Reflecting and Targeting

Before diving into applications, I reflected on my career goals:

1. Self-Reflection: Defined what I wanted to do, where I wanted to do it, and what I aimed to achieve next. The journaling habit really helped here.

2. Specific Goals: Thanks to advice from a friend, I got "weirdly specific" about my job criteria, focusing on roles in Talent Acquisition that leveraged my skills in marketing and content creation.

My Network

Networking played a pivotal role in my job search:

1. Visibility: Made sure people knew I was looking for a job.

2. Peer Conversations: Discussing my goals with peers opened new opportunities.

3. Virtual Coffees: Connecting with fellow job seekers provided mutual support.

4. Social Media Engagement: Meaningful interactions on professional networks helped build valuable connections. This doesn’t have to be posts! Comments lead to conversations, too.

5. Communities: Active participation in professional communities offered learning opportunities and support. Also some good laughs: well needed in a time of stress.

Final Thoughts

Job hunting is more than just sending out applications. It involves strategic planning, financial management, mental health maintenance, and effective networking. I hope my experiences provide some valuable insights for others in similar situations. Very often in life success results from numerous small, consistent efforts rather than any one action in isolation.

Thank you for following my journey. I’ll be shifting to talking about life in work, rather than looking for over the coming months so if you’re in Talent Acquisition and want to hear more, please follow or connect for future updates!