The short answer is NO! Unless, you have been presented with a specific opportunity by a specific person in your network to apply for now, you should find a way to cope with whatever is causing you pain in your current role if at all possible.

But don’t misunderstand me. You do need to be working on your job search strategy during this season to be ready to be in full on job search mode come January. What does it mean to have or work on a job search strategy? Here are a few tips to help you get started.

1. Know your target job. Any ole job won’t do. Know what you are specifically interested in doing next in your career.
2. Do your homework! What organizations do you want to work for? Pick 10 to 20. Write them down and then go to their website and set an alert to be notified when they post jobs that are of interest to you.
3. Work on your resume and LinkedIn profile. See how this is step 3 even though most of us want to start with this step?! You can’t do this well without knowing your target job and target companies. Also make sure you know how to customize your resume and cover letter for each job you apply for. There are tools and techniques available for great customization.
4. Network! That doesn’t always mean handing out business cards at a conference or professional event. Find ways to connect with people in your job market. LinkedIn is a great place to start and there is a way to do reach out authentically, professionally, and with confidence.
5. Don’t be afraid to reach out for support during this process. A job search is quite the undertaking so confide in a friend, work with a coach for accountability, manage your time so it doesn’t feel like you are always working on the job search, take a day off to do something you enjoy, etc.

While there is much more I could tell you about creating your job search strategy, I’ll leave you with these tips as a starting place. As always, let me know if I can be of help as we all work on choosing joy in our careers and lives!