Part Time Job Search

Everyone says that, if you can, you should keep your current job while looking for a new one. That’s easy to say, but the few times I’ve tried to do it, it’s been very hard. I find that the part-time search is very difficult to do well. Here are some things that can help:

• Small Tasks: I find that if I split up my search into small tasks that can be completed in 15 minutes or less, I can find time to do them, and focus long enough to be effective. A 15-minute task can be completed over lunch, on the train, or in a few spare minutes. If you end up with longer blocks of time, do several of them.
  
  
• Time to Focus: I need to focus when I’m searching. So I plan out where and when I can have a little bit of time to clear everything else away. Even with two not-so-small kids, only needing to clear out 15 minutes at a time is possible.
  
  
• Organize: The time spent switching from task to task kills productivity, and for me kills my motivation. If I have 15 minutes and I spend most of it finding my materials, it’s very hard to get motivated the next time. You need tools to organize, and make sure you organize everything at the END of a task so that it’s easy to pick up the next step whenever you get back to it.
  
  
• Reasonable Expectations: One advantage of searching while still employed is you have a safety net. So set reasonable expectations about what you can get done in a week or month, and be happy about whatever progress you are making.

Finding a new job while still working at an old one is possible, you just need good tools, good organization and a share of motivation. Visualize the moment when you accept that great new job, and get moving.