Last Friday, the Bureau of Labor Statistics released its monthly Employment Situation report, which indicated that unemployment for December 2009 is 10.0%. The numbers show no change from the figures for November 2009. The employment situation isn't any better -- but it certainly isn't any worse than it has been for the last 2 months. Shouldn't this be a motivating factor for most job seekers? Apparently not.

According to a recent study by the Department of Labor, it seems that the average job seeker spends only 18 minutes per day on the job hunt.  Speaking from personal experience here, 18 minutes a day is barely enough time to proofread your resume -- and I mean really proofread -- after you've updated it or changed the layout.  Not too long ago, in my own job search, I spent a good chunk of each day, at least a few hours, trying to connect with professionals, attend networking events, hone my marketing skills, read relevant industry books...you get the picture. If I had spent only 18 minutes a day trying to accomplish all of that, I would probably still be searching for a job right now. If you think about it, how much can you really accomplish in 18 minutes a day? Maybe, if you rush, you could write a quick cover letter, place a quick phone call to set up a networking lunch, and quickly read a good blog article about job searching. But do you really want to rush through your entire job search and make all of the effort you put forth "quick?" If you're serious about your search, you'll take your time, avoid mistakes, and take thoughtful next steps. And you'll certainly spend more than 18 minutes a day searching.

Searching for a job and managing your career deserves as much time as you can reasonably devote to it. We know that candidates on OneWire are serious about their careers, but that doesn't mean that events don't come up that may briefly move their attention away from their job search. That's why we try to make it easy for you to be found for your next opportunity. You can fill out as much or as little of your profile as you want at any time. Simply save your information, and you can log back into OneWire at a later time to complete your profile. Even if your profile isn't 100% complete, you will still be matched to new opportunities. Your OneWire dashboard can also help to speed things up for you. When you log in to your profile, any matches that you've received will show up right on your dashboard. So if you can't stay logged in for long, you can at least take some time to think about how you'd like to proceed, and then move forward with the opportunity when you've got the time.

Moral of the story? If you really want to find success in yourjob search, spend more than 18 minutes a day on it.