Some people seem to think that the day of a job seeker begins at noon, followed
by a two-hour lunch, a few hours of surfing online, and finally ending the day at
the local happy hour. That’s all a misconception; everything is untrue….except
the bit about the two-hour lunch: perfectly justifiable and tax-deductible
for networking
with ex-coworkers.

A friend of mine said to me recently: “Now that you’ve interviewed others
on their job search experience, why don’t you talk about your own? You are always
so busy I can’t even reach you on the cell. What do you do all day?”

Every Monday I begin the week by jotting down my list of goals for the week:
submit resumes to 6 new companies; set up 2 informational interviews; re-read
the The
Innovator’s Dilemma by Christensen; fix the leaking toilet in the back bathroom.

I try to start my day at a decent hour. Like Joan
said, there’s always the temptation to sleep in, or spend the day watching the
ticker on MSNBC. I usually get into the home office by 9. I spend the morning
answering calls, responding to email, and going over the half dozen job
listings I subscribe to. I continue to have the best success with KITlist
and flipdog, together they have yielded
me a handful of interviews.

Lunch is usually from 11:30 to 1:30. At least three times a week I network
with friends and colleagues. They keep me up-to-date on the latest buzz and
rumors in the valley.
I usually bring my notebook along, to jot down the names of the latest local
startups.

After lunch I like to read the news and
maybe run some errands. Since being unemployed I rarely go to places such as
Costco or Fry’s on the weekends - too crowded for my taste. I try to do most
of my shopping when everyone is at work.

If I have an upcoming interview I usually spend 4 to 8 hours researching the
company and familiarizing myself with their technology. I think about the type
of questions they might ask and prepare accordingly.

If there are no upcoming interviews I like to spend at least an hour a day
on small projects to keep the technical side of my brain engaged. Past projects
include setting up a Linux media server at home, building a Wi-Fi antenna, and
transforming a cellphone into a wireless modem.

My day ends at 5:30, when my son sits down for dinner. And, just like when
I am at work, I usually log in for a few hours after dinner. I guess some things
never change.