7 Ways To Stay Sane in Your Executive Job Search - Executive Career Brandâ„¢

7 Ways To Stay Sane in Your Executive Job Search No doubt about it, job search ranks right up there with divorce, having a baby and moving, as one of the most challenging life transitions you may have to cope with. My friend Tim Tyrell-Smith, a career expert and life coach, offered spot-on advice in his post, How To Sleep Like A Baby During Job Search. In particular, he spoke about overcoming those sleepless, tossing-and-turning nights â€" a typical problem for job seekers. Ive  added my thoughts to his 7-point framework. More than just a way to deal with sleeplessness, this is really a comprehensive action plan for whatever ails you in job search: 1. Set specific goals each day and accomplish them. I would add that your daily goals should be realistic. Dont set a goal like I will land a job today. Include several smaller goals in your day like, I will spend 1-2 hours on looking for the hiring decision makers at my target companies that are on my list of people to connect with. I will see which Groups they belong to and join those Groups. 2. Exercise and eat well everyday. Important whether or not youre job searching, exercising and healthy eating promote better productivity, thinking, and more restful sleep. Eating well will probably result in losing some weight, which can diminsh  snoring, if you suffer from that sleep-depriving habit. 3. Find someone to talk with. Dont keep all your fears and stress inside. Family and friends can be very supportive and helpful in providing a different perspective, and to just unload to. You cant keep all these things in and expect to sleep well and be prepared to tackle your job search to-do list the next day. 4. Take action. If youre floundering and getting nowhere each day, take the time to be introspective, determine what you may be doing wrong and how you can improve. If its been several weeks or several months, and nothing is happening in your job search  â€" no interviews, no action, no nothing  â€" you need to figure out how to fix it. If youre completely stuck and dont have a clue how to fix it, it may be time to turn to a professional. 5. Make new friends. Its probably asking too much of your family and current friends to be your only sounding boards. Repeatedly voicing your doubts and negativity can become overwhelming to them, especially since theyre probably not job searching themselves and arent going through the same things. Try turning outside your comfort zone to other job hunters. Look for job search support groups in your area in Job-Hunt.orgs Directory of Local Networking and Job Search Support Groups. 6. Create and maintain a family budget. Creating a transition budget, so youll know just what you have and how long you can stretch it, can be extremely comforting. It may also be helpful to build plans around what if scenarios, like How will we get by if I dont land a job for X number of months? and Where can we, as a family, cut back right now? Getting everyone involved and rallied around the common goal will make saying no that much easier. 7. Work to build confidence. Lets face it. The rejection and setbacks that go hand in hand with job search can be defeating and cause you to question your value. Tim wrote another excellent post to help you do the confidence-building work, 17 Ways To Build Confidence While Finding A Job, that includes things like: Take a day off and help others. Pay attention to your small wins. Remember your past victories. Re-write your elevator pitch. Add some new skills. Related posts: How To Tap Into Hidden C-level Executive Jobs 16 Deadly Executive Job Search Mistakes How to Build a Powerful Executive Network Prepare to Ace Brand Your C-level Executive Job Interview photo by brains the head 00 0