Feeling burned out? You are not alone. The last year and a half have been one of the most difficult and trying times of, well, our times. And if you are like one of many, looking for a new role currently is not the easiest of feats while avoiding burnout. So, how can you manage a successful job search while living life during COVID, caring for your family, and working full-time? Let us look at some principles I have been helping my clients incorporate during this time.

What is Your Why?

I talk to prospective clients who tell me they want a new job now- and many lose steam very quickly because it is so stressful and exhausting. If you know your why it makes it easier to focus on the end goal and get through the endless difficulties. When I am coaching a client, one of our first exercises is to outline their why so that they are familiar with what the end goal is. In this way, it also makes it easier to understand and assess what the smaller goals should be along the way and how to create a plan to reach them in a sensible manner without burning out. Defining your why also helps to create motivation rather than fear or anxiety because you will feel empowered to take the first step to reach your goal.

Have an Action Plan

Many can get lost right at the beginning by not knowing how much time the process will take, the fear of the unknown, or of not knowing what to do will stop you from gaining momentum and finding success in your job search. From my experience, one of the first steps should be creating a plan and following it methodically. By doing so, you will gain energy from accomplishing the tasks and achieving your goals in each step.

How much time are you willing and able to dedicate to the job searching process? Also, how much time are you willing to commit each day and each week? Once you have determined that, it will make it less likely you burn out quickly. It is important to block that time as well as 15-30 minutes a day to check your personal email and LinkedIn, check in with recruiters, and schedule interviews. What will you do during your blocked off time? That is typically when I suggest we schedule coaching sessions and clients spend time on related activities.

Your action plan should also source help from experts. It will take longer to meet your goals if your action plan does not include expertise from those who are versed in doing this with others and have done it successfully in the past. Our friends and family cannot help us when they do not know how to do so. In this way, we will not be losing out on opportunities through countless rejections and not knowing what was done wrong and you will look like a strong candidate who stands out from the competition.