One unsettling thing about getting laid off and managing a job search is the dynamic of working from home.
This can be fun, exciting and freeing.
Or it can be very, very frustrating!
Check out this post from Sara Fletcher, talking to recruiters about working from home: 5 Challenges of Working from Home
Her 5 points (with my thoughts) are:
- It’s All On You. I totally agree. The job search is all on you. You have no boss to report to. Even a spouse or parent can’t really tell what you do. There is only one really good outcome, right? The process to get there can be as muddy or efficient as you can make it.
- Less Distinction between Work and Home. I still have problems with this, and I’ve been working from home for 6 1/2 years! Sara says to SET BOUNDARIES, and I couldn’t agree more!
- Too [Many] Distractions. I heard a resume writer say she usually got sidetracked by laundry or dishes… you have to know what you need to do, set boundaries, and then respect those boundaries. For example, 8 – 5 is work time, and maybe after (or before) is cleaning time.
- Loss of Productivity. Sara suggests not getting dressed as if you were to into the office, and perhaps stay in pajamas, is counterproductive. I personally love the freedom to dress how I want (which is, comfortable!). I also find I’m MORE productive since I can start and stop when I want, cutting out 60 minutes of non-productive commute time, and eat lunch while I work (which has always been taboo where I’ve worked).
- Isolation. I think I’m fairly social, plus I have my wife and kids around, so I don’t feel isolated. I’m also as active as I want to be online with LinkedIn, etc. And if I do feel alone, it’s easy for me to check my inboxes, with thousands of messages just waiting to be responded to (my ideas of Inbox Zero are different now then they have been).
What do you think? Has working from home, in your job search, been hard or easy? Beneficial or unproductive? Lonely or just fine?
