It’s likely that at some point in your life you’ve experienced the terror of losing your job. When it comes as a surprise it can be an emotionally devastating experience. The good news is you’ve got the opportunity to prove to yourself that you are an organized hard-working person. With a strong resolve, finding new employment can be a energizing process. All it takes is a little organization and planning.

Sitting in front of a computer all day, applying for online jobs on company websites and job boards isn’t going to cut it—mostly because you won’t hear back from most of the places where you submitted online job application. In fact, I think that the online approach to job hunting almost guarantees that you will become dejected, depressed and hopeless.

Finding a job is a full time job in itself. If you’ve decided not to take your skills into the medical freelance industry, then you’ll need to prove to another company that you have the skills and knowledge they are looking for. Developing and implementing an ordered and strategic job search provides jobseekers with organization and a structure that will likely help to ward off feelings of confusion, dejection and hopelessness experienced by most people who have lost jobs.

Below are four tips to help you stay focused, organized and energized in finding a new job in the medical, biotech, science, or pharmaceutical industry.

Job Hunting Checklist:
Prepare – Set aside time to update your résumé, create template intros, thank you emails, and organize success folders with skills, accomplishments, and honors.

Set mini-deadlines – Be realistic about what you can get done each day and set goals ahead of time. How many jobs will you apply for each day? How much research will you do?

Keep records – Start a spreadsheet or a notebook of all the places you have applied. Make notes about your day-to-day activity so you won’t get overwhelmed with the task of applying.

Divide the day’s activities – Each job requires three main steps: research, meetings, and follow-up. To avoid getting lost in the process, divide your day into specific focuses. A few hours in the morning for research, mid-day for meetings, and afterwards devote to follow-ups.

Energy comes from productivity. If you feel like you are actually accomplishing something each day you’ll be energized to keep up the pace. Don’t let the lack of organization keep you from being happily employed.

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