Job Seeking Time Management Tips
When you are looking for your next exciting role, time management plays a crucial part. Whether you are looking for work, going for an interview or starting a new job… your time management skills can make a huge difference.
Here are our top tips for planning your time and increasing your chances of success in your job search:
- During Job Search
- To-Do List – listing the actions that you need to do will help you to stay focussed. (These actions include phone calls, completing applications forms and employer research for example.) It’s also very satisfying when you cross the items you’ve finished off the list!
- Avoid Multi-Tasking – jugging different tasks, whether home or work orientated – with your search for a new job inevitably leads to distractions and interruptions.
- Go For It! Often, thinking about what you need to do takes more time than you think. Make sure that you action your tasks (on your to-do list) rather than just think about them. They’ll be completed more quickly and you’ll accomplish more.
- Talk to us! The team at Essential Results offers friendly, expert advice to help you find the job you’re looking for. We’re on your side!
- Preparing for Interviews
- Plan your journey – do you know where the interview location is? Research your journey (regardless of how you are travelling), leaving more than enough time to arrive early. It’s better to find the address and have time for a coffee rather than start your interview feeling stressed or running late.
- Avoid wardrobe worries – what are you going to wear for your interview? Thinking ahead means that you can check that your clothes are ironed, your shoes are clean… and that you have time to book that overdue haircut! If you are unsure of what you should wear to your interview, ask the Essential Results team.
- Time Management Questions – employers like candidates with good time management skills as they show your potential to:
– Meet deadlines
– Manage workload
– Avoid distractions
– Re-evaluate priorities
– Handle stress when dealing with multiple tasks
So, you will often be asked about time management during interviews. You need to prepare your answer to questions such as:
– How do you do decide which tasks to do first?
– How do you know what you’re doing is a good use of your time?
– Would you describe yourself as an organized person? Can you give us an example?
– How do you deal with things that you alone have to do, but you find hard or boring?
- Set your alarm – in fact, set several alarms! This will help you get ready on time regardless of what time your interview starts.
- Starting Your New Job
- Lose the snooze option – you need to wake up when it’s time to wake up!
- Plan ahead – thinking ahead will help you leave enough time to get ready for work and to travel to work. Think about the time you need in the mornings – to take shower, walk the dog, eat… and allow for that time when you set your alarm. Planning what you’ll be wearing the night before will help you move faster in the morning too.
- Avoid distractions – these can eat up your time before you know it. Try putting on the radio instead of the television, for example. Look at your social media feeds once you are ready for work and know that you have the time.
“If you manage your time well, not only will you complete your actions more quickly, but you’ll probably feel calmer and more relaxed too,“ says Liz Felstead of Essential Results in Stevenage. “Being punctual and efficient helps you to shine in your job and creates a good impression to employers.”
Liz’s best time management tip? “Make it happen! Planning is essential but not enough on its own. Put your plans into action and you’ll see – and feel – the difference.”
Are you looking for a new role? Would you like some realistic tips on finding your next job? Contact the team at Essential Results. We’ve been helping people find work in Stevenage and the surrounding areas for over 12 years. Let’s talk.