JOB SEARCH FEELS EXHAUSTING? TRY THIS INSTEAD

 Let’s be honest. Most job search activities are…boring, repetitive, and frustrating. 

• Updating resumes.
• Sending applications.
• Following up.
• Networking when you don’t feel like it.

And when you dread it, your energy shows. So here’s a different way to look at it. 

When my daughter was younger, she hated brushing her teeth. We could have forced her. Explained the benefits. Relied on discipline.

Instead, we did something simpler. We gamified it. We got her a timer and gave her one goal:

Turn the toothpaste foam from blue to white before the timer runs out. That’s it. And suddenly, brushing teeth became a game. 

You can do the exact same thing with your job search.

Instead of dreading it, gamify it. Turn it into small, winnable challenges.

For example:

• Reach out to 3 people before your morning coffee
• Spend 20 focused minutes only on networking (nothing else)
• Track “conversations started” instead of “jobs applied”
• Challenge yourself to ask 1 great question in every call

Now something interesting happens. You stop operating from: “I need to get this done.” And start operating from: “Let me play this well.” That shift changes your energy. You become more creative, more consistent, more intentional. 

The second thing this does is powerful.

Most job seekers think they are spending time on job search. But in reality, they are constantly switching tasks. 

Application → LinkedIn → CV → Random scrolling → Back again.

No depth. No momentum. When you gamify, you focus. You batch similar activities. You stay present. You actually build traction. This is what Always Be Careering looks like in practice. 

When you approach a job search like a chore, it drains you. When you approach it like a system, it compounds.

Always Be Careering,

Shub