10 Activities To Do In 10 Minutes to Help Your Job Search

English: CV profile system that allows interac...
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They say that job searching is a full time job.  I'm not sure who they are but this is what they say.  But just because you are looking for a job does not mean it has to be your entire life.  Yes, take it seriously. Yes, put some time into it.  But you should remember that you can do things that take a short amount of time but have a big impact on your job search strategy.

So, really, what can you do in 10 minutes that can positively affect your job search?

  1. Research a company. Do some web research on a company that you are interested in. Take some notes.  Look for info like the company motto, the name of the owner, their goals, successes they have had in the past year, and other things that you could use to target your resume and cover letter to that company if you put in an application.
  2. Do a search for companies that list job openings online.  Many companies do this so create a file in your bookmarks to save all these companies' sites for future reference.
  3. Create an About.me page where you can highlight some of your skills and project yourself as a professional.  You can use this on your resume, a business card, or in your email signature.
  4. Create a template for a great networking email.  You can personalize it for each person that you send it to but once you have a template you can send out several networking emails that let people know you are looking for a job and request referrals to professionals that might be interested in speaking with you.
  5. Read a blog post from one of the great Weekend Reading posts that I put up every Friday.
  6. Rehearse how you will answer specific questions that are frequently asked on job interviews like "What is your biggest weakness?" or "Tell me about yourself."
  7. If you've been on a job interview in the past 48 hours, send a thank you letter.
  8. Practice your elevator speech for your next networking event.
  9. Check industry web sites for possible events, workshops, or lectures that you might be able to attend.
  10. Review and analyze your latest job interview.  What did you feel good about?  What made you uncomfortable?  Did they ask any questions that you were not expecting?  Do you need to practice anything before you next interview?