Motivation Monday Do 3 Things Differently

Motivation Monday Do 3 Things Differently What are three simple things you can do differently in your job search this week? Change Your Routine Is it a lack of routine that is holding you back?   Personally, the mornings when I dont jump in the shower first thing are generally not as productive for me.   There is just something about a shower and getting dressed that almost forces me to want to leave the house. Perhaps your routine is spending time in the morning responding to emails.   Great, communication and follow through are SO important.   Could you go to the library to do this?   What about bringing your laptop to a coffee shop or co-working space? Heres another idea (especially if you dont have a laptop).   See if a friend has some office space you could use, just for a couple of hours.   First, it gets you out of the house and into an environment with other people and second, it gives them the opportunity to help and that makes them feel good.   I know what you are thinkingI can hear it now.   I cant ask someone to use their office or I dont know anyone who I could ask or This sounds like a dumb idea.   Fine.   The choice is yours. What is the harm in asking?   The idea behind this is to get out of your house and let more people know you are on the hunt. Do your salary research now! Too many people wait to do salary research until they have an interview.   Youll have a much better idea of what to put on your application if you have done research.   It is as simple as asking people in the occupation you are pursuing: What is the going rate for people entering into this job What have you seen being offered to people doing this job What is the typical range for this level of position Salaries vary from company to company.   The more people you ask within different companies, the better your data will be.   You can also check out these resources: Salary.com NYS DOL Wages (for my many readers in NYS) ONet Online (dive into your occupation and scroll to the very bottom of the information) Salary Negotiations and Job Offer Tools and Resources for Job-Seekers from Quintessential Careers FYI, sites like Monster and CareerBuilder dont use their own salary calculators, they use Salary.com or Salaryexpert.com Volunteer Giving back is a wonderful feeling, plus it provides you with something to do (other than the list of household chores and tedious job search related tasks!).   Any type of volunteering is good, however, if you want to maximize your job search, I recommend volunteering with an organization that is aligned with your future job goal or provides you an opportunity to use some of your work related skills.   There are so many organizations that could use your help!   Also think about professional associations.   You could volunteer to be on a committee.   Volunteering exclusively with job search related groups is a great thing, however, dont let that be a crux or diffuse your personal reputation (brand).   Do you want to be known as that really helpful resume reviewer or the one who runs a job seeking networking group or facilitator of job search discussions.   These arent necessarily bad, but if they arent in alignment with what you want to do next or there isnt a clear demonstration of transferable skills, are you using your time wisely?