Summer Creates Excuses!

While they are not very good excuses; the summer heat, gardening, trying to get in extra walks, being distracted by the demise of my beloved Phillies, and going through my own change of employment all contributed to my absence from the blogging scene for a few weeks.  Shame on me for not practicing what I constantly preach about never changing one's pace throughout the year, especially if you are in job search mode!  I will admit that momentary breaks to recharge the brain are healthy just so you do not totally shut the engine down!

Summer time is a great period to switch things up and experiment a bit with your job search.  If you have let your Linked In activity slip a little, summer is a great time to follow new companies, set up job search alerts, add new connections, and clean up your list of groups and perhaps join a few new ones.  My recent personal experience is perfect proof that keeping your list of companies you are following fresh is invaluable.  It is important to read the news posted by these companies each and every day as you never know when an incredible opportunity might pop up!

If you can afford a few days away, the change of location might do you some good.  While visiting a different venue, pick up the local newspapers and scope out the job market.  You might just find an opportunity worth pursuing and, while less likely, you may find a job in your home region posted out of town just because the company hopes to broaden the range of people noticing their needs.

Opportunities tend to appear when they are least expected.  Even though it is perfectly natural to take a little bit of down time, please remember to keep your eyes and ears open each and every day!