The In-between of Job Searching
The job market is not a friendly place for the unprepared. Heck, it’s barely friendly for all the people who are prepared.
The continuous search of “Architectural Jobs in desired location” on Google and Linkedin can just leave one doom scrolling looking at the same old postings day after day. So what can we do as job seekers to help our chances and mental health during this time? Well… here are some things I am doing to help me stay motivated and on track to finding a new job after being unexpectedly laid off just over a week ago.
Forming a short-term game plan (next 3-4 months)
The first step for me was to figure out where I was going to go. I had only planned to stay in San Luis Obispo until the end of 2024, so it doesn’t really make sense for me to try and find another architectural job in SLO County and only stay there for a year. So I decided I was going to move back home, yes- with my parents, to try and figure out things while saving a bit of money on living expenses. I know not everyone has that luxury, but I am very grateful that I have them as a support system. (Love ya Mom and Dad if you’re reading this <3 ) This option just gives me more financial security while also more time to apply for jobs and study for my licensing exams, without having to worry too much about paying my bills or putting food on my plate. Also deciding that I am going to leave SLO now makes it easier for when I do get a job somewhere because I won’t have to try to hustle someone to take over the remainder of my lease term. So the timeline I have right now is to get myself out of my apartment before December 1st. It seems sort of far away at the time of writing this, but in reality…. it really isn’t that far away. I’m going to be making an initial trip home on the 17th to bring home some of my smaller stuff, and that is only a week and four days away. Then I’ll be staying in Fresno till Thanksgiving and heading back to SLO that weekend, so there goes another week. So in the end that just gives me four days to clean up my room and pack up all my big furniture. You see…. far, but also very near haha.
Updating Resume and Portfolio
The next step after getting over the initial “What am I going to do” phase, was to update my resume, portfolio, and LinkedIn profile. Updating my resume was fairly simple, I just needed to update the ‘Work Experience’ section with more detailed descriptions of tasks I did as a full-time employee and update my title/time worked there. LinkedIn was also fairly simple, as I just needed to change my status to #opentowork and update my work position. I also decided to post my updated resume and a brief description of what happened and why I am #opentowork. Now… the hardest part was the portfolio. Let’s just say I may have put it off for a bit because I did NOT want to do it. I’d say definitely take updating your portfolio in chunks so as to not overwhelm yourself. Don’t feel like you need to pressure yourself to finish it all in one day. I needed to create two spreads, one for my architecture thesis and then one for the work I did at Catch Architecture. I ended up doing my thesis spread one day, then taking a break the next, and then doing the other spread the following day. It helped because I was able to come back into design mode and look at everything with a fresh eye and mind. After you complete your portfolio, go get yourself a nice little treat or something, because that was a lot of hard work, even if you don’t think it was. Then if you’re up to it and you’re feeling motivated… go apply to that one job you’ve had your eye on - it’ll feel good I promise. For me I was like “Ooohh girl, look at you- the ball is rolling, things are happening.” because now I have basically all the documents I need to apply for any job (except a cover letter).
Self-Care
Now this is arguably the most important step. Go get that 8 hours of sleep, go get yourself some groceries, and make that meal you’ve been wanting to do but kept saying you didn’t have time to make, go and hit up those friends you rain-checked plans with weeks ago. This may be an unfortunate time career-wise, but it doesn’t mean it has to be a horrible experience, it just takes you having to flip the script. Yes, you do need to make time to do the important hard work, but you also need to make time for yourself where you aren’t stressing over your entire future. When I was working, I didn’t really have time to do things that I used to love to do when I was in college. For example, I never got to sleep in. My schedule was 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, and I had a half-hour commute each way. This meant most mornings I was up by 5:30 so I could contemplate my existence for 15 min or hit snooze, get ready, make coffee, and pack my lunch - which I had already meal prepped - so I could be out the door by 6:30. So I’m taking this time to really enjoy sleeping in- well an hour longer at least haha. I still manage to wake up around 6:30 because of my natural body clock, but at least now I can laze around or make a delicious breakfast for myself that isn’t just yogurt or oatmeal in the office. I also now don’t have any excuse as to why I can’t find time to hang out with friends because I’m not tired or thinking about something I have to do tomorrow because I didn’t get it done today. Hanging out with others will help you relax and take your mind off everything to really enjoy the present. So go make some plans with friends you know you need to catch up with (I know that you know exactly who).
In summary, job searching is hard and it is definitely a process, but I know you can do it. If I can do it, you can do it. I know that sounds tacky but it’s true. Everything isn’t over, it’s just a period of redirection that you will just have to take day by day. But just remember at the end of this yellow brick road we call unemployment- there will be something great in store for you. You just need to put in a little work ;)
