When to Take Breaks in Your Job Search

When to Take Breaks in Your Job Search When to Take Breaks in Your Job Search 6Hunting for a new position is similar to holding a job, as the process takes a great deal of time, energy, and focus. And just like you need breaks from work in order to recharge, occasionally stepping away from a job search can prove a smart decision. Think you could use a respite? (Tip: if you immediately answered “yes,” you probably do.) Here’s a look at when might be advantageous to take breaks in your job search: Youre exhibiting signs of frustration or exhaustion. When you find yourself yelling at an empty email inbox, describing your job search to a friend as “beating my head against a wall,” snapping at your spouse for simply asking about your day, or downing five cups of coffee by 11 a.m. in an effort to stay engaged, chances are negative feelings have reached a (pun intended) breaking point. “Repetitive tasks that don’t bring about the desired result  are notorious for sapping our energy,” says Denise Dudley, author of Work It! Get In, Get Noticed, Get Promoted. “If you’re feeling depressed, cranky, bitter, weepy, angry, short-tempered- choose just about any negative emotion- it’s likely based upon psychological exhaustion. You’re out of energy, so take a break.” Youre lacking productivity. Does accomplishing objectives seem harder than when your job search began? (You do still set goals, right?) When concentration and output wane, taking a job search break may be in order. As Dudley notes, “At the point where you find yourself daydreaming for super-long periods of time, or surfing the net for cool vacation destinations, or deciding you must walk your dog for the tenth time in the past two hours- rather than focusing on your job search- it’s time to give it a rest. If you look at your ‘work output’ for the day and it’s embarrassingly paltry- maybe just a few resumes sent out to companies you’re not even familiar with- you’re suffering from burnout. You’ll be much more productive if you can step away for just a bit and return with a refreshed outlook.” Youre using poor judgment. Finally, consider it a big red flag when your desire to wrap up a job search leads you into unwanted territory. Straying away from what you really want can have long-term career repercussions and may land you right back to job hunting upon discovering the mistake. Pause to reflect. “When you reach a point of burnout and exhaustion, your brain becomes bad at making decisions about things that otherwise would seem obvious,” Dudley says. “If you find yourself starting to say, ‘Well, maybe a career in the Port-o-potty cleaning industry wouldn’t be so bad ’ (no offense to the wonderful people at Port-o-potty!), it’s time to step away from the job search for a bit. As our judgment becomes impaired, we’re apt to settle for things we wouldn’t normally settle for and to justify behaviors that don’t really represent us. We become unable to accurately reflect and to plan our next move, which is not a good mindset for job hunting.”