Mary, a former Boeing worker who attended a recent seminar I taught, said, "So many other laid-off folks are taking the summer off. They are getting unemployment so they can coast by and I think I'm going to do that too."
Tina is a mother of two kids ages five and seven. She recently separated from her husband and said, "It's too stressful to look for a job on top of all the divorce negotiations and figuring out childcare, so I'll wait until my kids go back to school. They'll be gone all day once school restarts and I'll look for work then."
Mark just finished his Bachelor's Degree and got his parents' okay to take the summer off and play before he launches his career. "After all," he said, "I have my whole life to work."
The warm sunshine is a major lure to everyone in the Northwest and it's very tempting to put your job search on the back burner and wait until September rolls around. But it's a significant mistake to take a ten-week vacation for the following reasons:
- You're delaying a long search process. It's taking many people six to nine months to find a new position. The later you start, the longer it will take. Better to devote 20 hours to an active search, say mornings 8 a.m. to noon, than to postpone it.
- You'll miss good opportunities. Many city, state and federal governments, plus colleges, schools and non-profit organizations operate on a fiscal year that starts on July 1st. New budgets become available and many employment contracts end, providing significant openings during June, July and August. By mid-September their window for hiring is closed. So summer is the time to actively look and apply for these jobs.
- It'll be more crowded come September. With thousands of others following the "summer off" strategy, you'll find an even more competitive job market. This may make it a long delay until you begin working again. Use summer social gatherings with friends and neighbors to arrange for networking contacts. I've found that 63% of all jobs were found through contacts last year, so stay active and network, network, network.
Robin Ryan has appeared on Oprah, NBC Nightly News with Tom Brokaw, CNN, CNBC and is considered America's top career coach. She is the best-selling author of: 60 Seconds & You're Hired!; Winning Resumes; Winning Cover Letters, and What to Do with the Rest of Your Life. She's the creator of the highly acclaimed audio training program Interview Advantage and The DreamMaker. Robin's passion is helping people find better jobs which she successfully does through her career counseling practice where she offers individual career coaching and resume writing services. A popular national speaker, Robin has spoken to over a thousand audiences on improving their lives and obtaining greater success. To purchase products or contact Robin visit her Web site at www.robinryan.com.
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