The challenges of looking for a job often motivate us to do things we never thought we would. Usually, this is a good thing: we step out of our comfort zones, make sacrifices, and face tough decisions in order to improve our chances of landing that job.
Sometimes, though, it brings out the worst in us. It can make us do things that we’re not supposed to be doing as professionals, and which we’ll inevitably regret later.
The thing is, it’s not always obvious right away what negative effects these questionable actions can have. So we’ve put together this handy multi-part guide to help you avoid them during your career-seeking.
JUST DON’T: EXCEED YOUR CAREER-SEEKING BUDGET
Looking for work is costly, from a short-term point of view. You’re spending on opportunities that have no immediate benefit to you. Every step – from preparing your application, to attending an interview, to processing your requirements – will involve expenses.
Also, when you do get hired you’re unlikely to receive your first pay right away. Your employer may release it along with your second paycheck, according to tradition.
That’s why setting aside a specific budget for it is so important. You need to have enough money not only to cover the costs of looking for a job, but also to shoulder your expenses for the first month of work.
Some career-seekers, however, make ill-advised decisions that lead to them spending more than they should. And by the time they get a job, they’ll owe considerable amounts of money to their family or friends.
What are these inefficient choices that you should avoid, and what can you do instead? Let’s run them down one by one.
- Paying more to prepare and produce documents. Instead of going to more affordable internet cafés to write and print resumés, some career-seekers go with whatever is closest and has a quicker turnaround time on the night before walking in to prospect companies. Instead of paying the normal rate for essential documents or identification, they’ll pay for expedited processing to beat deadlines or interview dates. Prevent this from happening to you by being thoroughly familiar with important dates and appointments with your potential employer. That way, you’ll be able to choose cheaper options when preparing everything you’ll need.
- Picking clothes that are too expensive for their intended use. Sometimes, career-seekers try to impress through professional attire. Not understanding that there is a way to achieve it with enough time and careful purchasing, they’ll buy business clothes on the day before the interview. This tends to be expensive because they’ll take clothes in any store that look good enough, regardless of the price tag. Instead of doing this, plan your attire at least a week in advance and take the time to sort through thrift stores and sales for the lowest prices. You can find affordable versions of the pieces you need to put together your attire; you just need to be patient enough.
- Spending more than necessary for transportation. Unable to wake up on time due to staying up late the night before, some career-seekers take expedited transport – such as taxis or hired private rides – just to get to interviews on time. Late-night activities that might cause this usually include, ironically, last-minute preparations for the interview. And sadly, expedited transport doesn’t always solve the tardiness problem; other factors such as traffic and weather conditions affect everyone on the road in the same way. Don’t let yourself fall into this situation; organize your preparation schedule so that you’ll have everything you need at least one day before an interview. This would allow you to rest early, and therefore wake up early.
- Eating out near a company’s premises. Going through an employer’s screening process can sometimes take most of the day, so career-seekers need to be able to eat during the designated lunch break. In particularly developed business districts, places to eat charge higher compared to what some career-seekers are used to. This can be very costly for those who didn’t bring lunch, usually because they didn’t have enough time to prepare food before leaving the house. You can avoid going through the same thing by setting aside time to prepare both breakfast and lunch before you leave the house. Eat breakfast, pack lunch with your things, and leave the house knowing you don’t have to splurge on food come noontime.
Notice how most of these complications are the result of being pressured to rush. If you feel like you don’t have enough time to make careful decisions and take well-planned action, you’ll be forced to rush through everything you need to do.
Taking the quickest way can be very costly, because you don’t even have the time to think about a solution that balances timeliness and affordability.
So in general, staying within your career-seeking budget is all about planning ahead of time. Don’t put yourself in situations where you’re forced to rely on quick last-minute solutions.
Give yourself the luxury of time, because it can’t be saved the way money can. And if you plan ahead, you can save both.