Too Sick to Job Hunt How to Make the Most of Downtime

Too Sick to Job Hunt How to Make the Most of DowntimeToo Sick to Job Hunt How to Make the Most of DowntimeCold and flu season is in full swing, which can hamper job seekers efforts to put their best foot forward in the market. While much of the groundwork in seeking professional opportunities can be done online, when youre flat on your back or too run down to work on your laptop, you can start to feel demoralized.If you find yourself down for the count for a few days, a week, or longer, unable to get resumes out there or go on job interviews due to illness, theres no need to despair.Here are some tips on actions you can take to make the most of downtime that arises when you feel too sick to look for workBuild your network- from bed.You may feel too crummy for in-person meetings or even work-related phone calls, but unless you are completely incapacitated by your bug, you can use the time that youre laid up to do some social media networking. Its bedrngnis often that you have a real e xcuse to surf social, but when youre sick and unable to do much else, its the perfect opportunity to do so guilt-free.The key here, though, is to be thoughtful about your approach. If you have the energy to click Like on your high school friends posts about their weekend, perhaps you can funnel that focus instead toward industry-specific networking.For example, check out what professionals in companies or positions of interest to you are doing on Twitter, or read their posts on LinkedIn. Find an angle to comment on, and youll have created a connection where it counts in your job search. You might also research who in your current network already has contacts in organizations that youd like to explore and ask them for an introduction.Catch up on industry news.Podcasts, websites, journal articles, business books- all of these media and more can inform you while you are recovering near the tissue box. If you feel good enough to watch Netflix, then youre well enough to press play on a p odcast or TED Talk and get up to date on issues and trends that can make you a more well-informed candidate on the job market.If you dont feel mentally up to the task of beefing up on industry specifics, consider digging into a new general business book that youve been wanting to read but havent had time. Theres no time like the present to learn about broader strategies and ideas that can give you a leg up on your competition once youre back at full strength.Just rest.One reason that we get sick is that we dont give ourselves enough recovery time from work-related pressures throughout the year. A job search can be seriously stressful, and should be treated as a full-time job in the sense that you do need to schedule breaks and respite from the grind of constantly trying to land employment.Sickness may feel inconvenient, but its your bodys way of forcing you to slow down. If you heed its message and truly unplug from your job search until you start to feel like yourself again, then y ou can resume your search feeling strong and rested. So on sick days when even the ideas above feel like too much, consider the option of doing nothing but letting your body heal, and youll be making yourself a better candidate over the long-term.Its not easy to be forced to stop job hunting against your will when you get sick. But using the time off of your feet for strategic activities that take less energy can be a smart investment- even if that means totally stopping for a while.