Hating your job is awful — you spend a third of your adult life in the office! But that doesn’t mean you have to be miserable just for a paycheck. While you’re busy looking for other work, you can maximize whatever benefits of your current job you can find before you leave.
1. Develop your skills. If your current offers any sort of training for anything, take it! Not only will it get you away from your desk for a while, it’ll also buff up your skill set and resume for when you eventually find or land a gig you actually enjoy.
2. Network. Befriend clients without mentioning that you’re looking elsewhere. Smile at security guards in your building. You never know who knows someone who knows someone who works at your dream company.
3. Maximize your savings. If your company matches your 401K contributions, maximize them before you leave while also giving yourself a buffer in your checking account for emergencies.
4. Improve your interpersonal skills. Stuck answering phones? Perfect your voice. Hate your coworkers? Develop diplomacy.
5. Narrow down what you want. Knowing what you don’t want to do will get you closer to figuring out what you do want. Use your experience to carve out your path.
