How To Job Search Over the Weekend

So you want to be a weekend job search warrior. Maybe you set yourself some goals this week and then get too busy to fulfill them. Or maybe you just want to dip your feet in the job search pool to see how you feel when you have a bit of free time. Regardless of why you find yourself job searching on the weekend, here are some good strategies to keep in mind.

Stay on top of your go-to sites.

Sure, there won’t be a lot of new jobs posted over the weekend. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t keep an eye on your alerts and even consider responding to any that might come up. It’s a competitive market out there and someone is working harder at getting hired than you are!

Use the time to play catch up.

Maybe you’ve been so busy all week that the alerts and opportunities are piling up. Use the weekend to catch up and respond. Clear out your alerts, do a few searches, and send out those networking emails. Go into Monday fresh and up to speed.

Review your progress.

Look back on the week before. How did you do? What’s working/not working? Take this time and space to evaluate your progress and make any necessary adjustments.

Remember to weekend.

It is still your weekend. Be sure not to burn out by spending the entire time job searching. Do something weekendy!

Clean house.

Are your documents all in order? Do you have old versions lurking on your hard drive that can be deleted? Any files that should be reformatted or renamed? Is everything that needs to be in your documents already there? You could even consider saving the cover letters that got you nibbles to a separate folder; you’ve obviously got something right in them! While you’re at it, tidy up your real house. Make your desk a calming and productive space where you can get in, do your thing, and get out efficiently.

Dial back your search.

Follow the quality vs. quantity rule and prune your list down to jobs you actually qualify for—not just partial possibles. Putting more energy into fewer applications might actually get you a job a lot faster.

Follow up.

You might not expect to reach anyone over the weekend, but it’s a good time to chart who you’ve heard back from and who you should nudge. You could even write your emails and save them in your drafts folder to send mid-morning Monday.