Job hunt on the go
Sometimes you get tired of sitting on your couch and searching for a job. That’s when you pack up your backpack and take your search to the nearest library, coffee shop, or park (this was slightly more conducive when I did my search in the fall)! The nice thing about job searching in public is that you can time box your efforts so that you’re not endlessly doom scrolling through Linkedin or job boards. If you make it to the bottom of this post you’ll be rewarded with a story of my 22 year old self hustling for her first job in the Bay Area.
To make sure you don’t show up settle in and try to get started and realized you’ve forgotten something, here’s a handy list! For all the electronics, make sure you’re fully charged so that you’re not scrambling for a plug as soon as you get there.
If you’re only out for a couple hours the following should suffice:
[ ] Laptop
[ ] Cell phone
[ ] Headphones
[ ] Notebook
[ ] Pens
[ ] A water bottle (hydration is key)
[ ] Snacks (avoid hangry)
If you’re a minimalist, then you’re probably good to stop here. But, if you are planning for a full day you may want to add in the following:
[ ] Chargers / battery packs for your devices
[ ] A sweater / scarf (you never know when you’ll end up sitting at the drafty table)
[ ] Some form of entertainment for breaks (i’m a fan of my kindle)
[ ] “offline” work in the event you have no internet
[ ] More snacks (PB+J anyone?)
[ ] A tote bag to lug back any groceries / shopping you might decide to do
9 years ago, I was visiting my boyfriend in the Bay area and also conducting a preliminary job search. One day I decided to go up to the city and play tourist. As the universe would have, that was a day one of the hiring managers asked if we could meet up IRL in the city. As luck would have it, that was the day I decided to go au natural with my hair (subtext: it was a mess), and my face was definitely not on. In a stroke of inspiration, I decided to hit up Westfield mall and “sample” a straightening iron, grabbing myself some eyeliner from a Walgreens on the way.
That’s when I made a note to myself to always put my face on when on the hunt!
