Going on Vacation

It’s summertime, time for vacations, right?  But, if you don’t have a job, should you be taking a vacation? Well, like the answer to most good questions, it depends.

I strongly encourage you to treat looking for a job like a full-time job.  Get up at the same time every day, shower, get dressed, have a cup of coffee, and get to work.  Then, spend the next 8 hours looking for a job, every weekday.  Work some on the weekends as needed.  While every day might not be jammed packed, you should be able to fill the majority of every day with search activities: looking for jobs, researching companies, working on your resume and target list, practicing your interview questions, and filling every other minute networking – setting up, attending, and following up on meeting new people.  Finding is a job is hard work, and you won’t find your dream job just watching TV or playing video games.

But you need balance.  You need to make sure you are taking care of you.  Looking for a job probably has a more flexible schedule than a regular job, so take the opportunity to exercise more, lose some weight if you need to.  Do mindfulness exercises to reduce your stress and improve your mental health.  If you have extra time, don’t wile it away on the couch, invest in in yourself, your family and your community.

And, like with a regular job, you need a break every once in a while.  Depending on your finances, if you can afford a vacation, take it.  If you can’t afford to go away, take a staycation.  Work on projects around the house, take the kids to the zoo, or just go play in the park.  Handle it just like you would if you were working.  Plan for it.  Use the out-of-office message on your email.  Maintain your disciplines just like you were working a full-time job, but get away, relax and recharge.  Then, come back refreshed and get at it. 

Throughout the job search process, you need to take care of yourself so that when you land that new job you can be at your best, not exhausted and worn out.   Work a vacation into your plan.  Rest and recharge, then hit it hard when you get back.   If you are struggling with your job search, this might help:  https://im-fired.com/about-the-book/

Burning Bridges …

Johnny Paycheck sings “Take this job and shove it, I ain’t workin’ here no more.”  There is something liberating about just writing those words, much less being able to say them.  But walking into your boss’s office and doing your best Johnny Paycheck interpretation probably isn’t great career advice (unless you can do it in style, go viral and get an offer from Queen Latifah).

Burning Bridges has some very different connotations.  In this post, Rebecca Thorman says that if burning bridges means cutting ties, then by all means, there are many good reasons to cut ties and move on.  I agree.  But she also says, “You shouldn’t just walk out. You should give notice and finish your projects and be polite (if for no other reason than your own sense of pride and accomplishment),” and that’s really where I come in.  

To me, burning bridges means a scorched earth policy.  It means trashing your former boss or company, or using confidential information inappropriately.  (Can you hear Johnny Paycheck in the background?) These are career limiting decisions and can have horrible effects on your job search.

Regardless of how you leave a job, leave it with as much dignity and grace as possible.  Follow Ms. Thorman’s advice.  After you’re gone, my advice is much like your mother’s was long ago, if you can’t say something good about someone, don’t say anything at all – especially in an interview.  No interviewer wants to hear you bash your former company or complain about how poorly they treated you. Be a grown up, highlight the good parts or stay quiet.  

I strongly support not burning your bridges, because you may need them.

If you are struggling with your job search, this might help.  https://im-fired.com/about-the-book/