5 Tips for Time Management for Environmental Job Seekers

Time management is important for your job search because job search activities are usually low on our priorities list until something critical happens. Purposefully making time to research, learn something new, or submit applications is extremely important and not best left for when you are in a hurry. Not to mention, managing your time wisely will be a key factor in how successful you will be in the job when you get it!

For us environmental enthusiasts, we also have to balance our love and call for being outdoors. Who wants to stay in and apply for jobs when you can go out and explore?

Here are some things you can do:

1. Make a list of priorities. How urgent is your job search on this list or how big of a leap are you intending to make? Urgent and large leaps require extra available time.
2. Pair your social and environmental activities with things that are aligned with your job search. Find networking events that incorporate kayaking, hiking, or coastal cleanups. Routinely volunteer and become “part of the scene”.
3. Build in some processes and systems. Make it a habit to scan LinkedIn for just a few minutes every morning before you get started on other things. Look for potential connections, interactions, and new businesses to follow. Add 20 minutes to each day to catch up on news that is relevant to the type of career you’re interested in.
4. Have a clear action plan for your search that includes starting with getting your resume to its maximum potential as well as your LinkedIn profile. That way you can focus on searching, applying and networking. If you have to do a major overhaul of your resume every time you apply you are wasting a lot of time. That fact alone will keep you from applying to things you might otherwise be able to as well.
5. Track your actions. While this may seem like a waste of time, this can actually help you to stay motivated and understand better what is working for you and what is not. For instance, often times a person will say to themselves, “I’ll aim for applying to 5 jobs a month” but they actually only think about applying to 5 jobs and they actually apply to less than that. If you track the status of each one, it can help you to know when you should follow up rather than wasting time searching your email to see when you applied.

An added bonus that you might find is that when you put time aside to focus on your job search, for instance choosing to stay home a night rather than go out, you might save some money. This was a lesson I wish I had learned sooner. When you’re searching for a job your sense of urgency and anxiety are directly related to how much funding you have to live off of. Saving during the job search period can help you to stress less and make the experience more enjoyable. More on ways to save, another time.

You might also like the free personal branding worksheet or the personal development worksheet

There is currently space available in group coaching! Learn more HERE.

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Stay gold!
-Laura 

The Environmental Career Coach provides group and personal coaching for students, recent grads, and career changers to help them get from where they currently are and onto paths to successful environmental careers.