4 Ways To Take Advantage Of Your Extra Time

The headline for this article could just as easily have been 4 Ways To Make Yourself (Even More) Attractive To Your Potential New Employer. Because being between jobs doesn’t have to mean your value diminishes in the eyes of a potential employer. In fact, there are several actions you can take to make yourself more attractive. Here are our four tips on how to take full advantage of your extra time while on the job hunt.

Being between jobs doesn’t have to mean your value diminishes

1. Learn something new

Taking up a new hobby is a great way to keep your mind busy and stimulated. Because, let’s face it, sending out job applications isn’t really that exciting all of the time. Some days you will find yourself desperate to do something else. Why not use your extra time productively and try to learn something new? It could be knitting, drawing, or maybe baking. Really, it can be anything that you would like to learn - and it doesn’t have to be industry relevant.

Learning something new keeps your mind sharp. The most important thing is that it brings you joy and that it’s something you can diversify your time with instead of only looking at cat-videos online when you feel the need to procrastinate (although that is still a valid use of time if you ask me).

2. Take a class

If you want to take extra advantage of your spare time while you’re on the hunt for a new job it might be a good idea to take a class. Especially a class where you will get a formal diploma at the end. This you can add to your resume and thus become even more attractive to your future employer.

New skills are (almost) always useful. So why not spend your extra time learning a new language or perhaps learn how to create engaging videos. Add your new skill(s) to your cv and resume and get even more interviews.

Bonus: Voluntarily picking up new skills will show a potential employer that you are a dedicated person who is willing to go the extra mile to get the job done.

3. Become a volunteer

Becoming a volunteer works double for you: on a personal plane it will make you feel really good about yourself. Doing something for others voluntarily keeps the soul happy. However, on a professional plane, volunteering works wonders too. It really doesn’t matter much what you choose to volunteer with. But of course, if it is even remotely possible, you should try to make it relevant for your field. That way you might end up meeting some interesting people who will be able to help you towards your dream job. This shouldn’t be your only motivation to do volunteer work obviously, but it would be a nice little bonus, right? The thing you have to remember is, that you never know where and under which circumstances you might meet your future employer. And if he or she has firsthand knowledge of you working as a volunteer, it speaks volumes of your commitment to a future workplace. 

Volunteer work is also a great addition to your LinkedIn summary.

Doing something for others voluntarily keeps the soul happy

4. Start networking

Sometimes, it simply doesn’t matter what you know and how well you do it. Sometimes, it’s more important who you know. Does that sound discouraging? No need. Because the solution is networking. A great way to put yourself ahead of the competition out there is to start networking. “How?” you say? Well, that’s a whole article of its own (check out his article to learn more: 6 Foolproof Ways to Network) but below are a few ideas to get you started.

1. Start with who you know already - friends and family, former colleagues. Perhaps one of them has heard about a position that you would be suited for? Perhaps you can get one or two of them to read through your resume and cover letter and give you feedback?

2. Keep your social presence up to date. This involves making sure your LinkedIn profile is updated with your latest positions and responsibilities

3. Join networking groups (both online and offline). Then, attend networking meetups to physically meet people from those groups

The idea is, you never know where your next job lies. You might as well incorporate networking in your job hunt.

Conclusion

So, this finishes up our take on what you can do yourself to get the most out of your extra time and also what makes you even more attractive to your future employer.

The best way to get in front of the line however is to make sure you present yourself in the best possible way. One sure fire way to do that is to create great resumes and cover letters. We can help you do that. Try our free resume builder and see for yourself.