Career and workplace experts suggest taking at least one week off to allow yourself to refresh
By Jacquelyn Smith
Suppose you were just offered a new job and the company is fairly
flexible with your start date. How much time should you take, if any,
between gigs? And what should you do with that time?
Career and workplace experts suggest taking at least one week off to
allow yourself to refresh, recharge, and refocus-- but some say two
weeks is ideal, if you can swing it.
Cali Williams Yost, CEO of
Flex+Strategy Group/Work+Life Fit, Inc., blogger, and author of "
TWEAK IT: Make What Matters to You Happen to You Every Day,"
says taking time off can help you mentally prepare for this next big
chapter in your life. "There is always a learning curve, and you'll want
to be your best and freshest when you start."
Taking some time between jobs also gives your brain a chance to take a
break, to process leaving your old job (which can be pretty emotional,
whether you loved or hated it), and to prepare for all the new
challenges to come, adds Sara Sutton Fell, CEO and founder of FlexJobs.
If you're starting a new job, here are 13 things you should do in the interim to set yourself up for success:
1. Get organized.
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Minimize the stress of your first week in a new job by taking time to organize your personal life.
"Any projects around the house that have been nagging at the back of
your mind? Now's the time to get them done," says Ryan Kahn, the founder
of The Hired Group and creator of the best-selling How To Get Hired
online course.
2. Schedule appointments and run errands.
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Miriam
Salpeter, job search coach, owner of Keppie Careers, and author of
"Social Networking for Career Success" and "100 Conversations for Career
Success," says your break between jobs is the perfect time to schedule
doctor appointments and deliveries that require you to be home, and to
run any errands that may be difficult to get done once you start your
new job.
3. Disconnect.
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"Take
advantage of not having to be reachable during the day, and stop
checking your email or looking at Facebook for an afternoon or two,"
says Sutton Fell. "This gives you a chance to reset your brain."
Instead of staring at a screen for hours on end — which you'll
probably have to do as soon as you start your new job — pick up a book
you've been dying to read, or go take an exercise class you've been
wanting to try.
