Ten Reasons to Take Up Biking During a Job Search
While riding my road bike recently, I was thinking about all the benefits of putting in miles on two rubber tires (and no motor!). And then I got to thinking about the job seekers in the world and how biking should be an activity included in their job search routine.
So, without the fanfare of a drumroll, I present in no particular order:
Jeff’s Ten Reasons to Start Biking While Looking for Job:
- As you venture out of your immediate neighborhood, travel through industrial parks to find companies to investigate.
- Riding helps clear your mind and gives you time to think. Bring a recorder (or old school: scrap of paper/pen). You’d be surprised how many great ideas pop into your head while you’re riding.
- Obviously, getting some exercise is a chance to burn calories. Hours of research in front of a computer can lead to the opposite.
- By meeting new folks who ride in your town, you get to network with all kinds of new contacts. Most bike shops hold weekly rides originating from their shop.
- In between jobs, it is sometimes hard to find accomplishments to be proud of. As your miles and fitness increase, you’ll feel extremely good about your positive experience.
- Biking adds another dimension to your personal life that may be useful in interviews. You never know, you might have an interviewer who is an avid cyclist. Making personal connections in an interview is key.
- Being healthy is appreciated by employers’ (and your own) budget. In fact, many companies have developed programs in the last several years for encouraging their employees to stay fit.
- Biking lends itself to setting and achievement of goals. Hiring managers like candidates who are self-directed and can achieve personal goals.
- Biking is a stress reliever. It gives your body and brain a chance to vent frustrations by pushing yourself physically. Being out in the world/nature/fresh air helps bring you back to reality. Although this may be a tough time, there is a “bigger picture.”
- Duh! It’s a good habit. After you’ve found your next job, you’ll want to continue mashing those pedals!
If you’ve got a few more to share, feel free to comment below. Or if you want to chat about biking, tweet me at @jlipschultz. I’d be happy to give you my two cents immediately, assuming I’m not on the road at the time.
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About Jeff
Jeff Lipschultz is a founding partner of A-List Solutions, a premier recruiting firm in Dallas-Fort Worth. He enjoys blogging about the challenges of the candidate search process from all perspectives. Jeff also blogs about career tips, employment trends, and sometimes, quirky observations of society. He has been a blogger on AOL and is a featured contributor to www.job-hunt.org. Click Bio above for more background information on Jeff.
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Really enjoyed this pithy post, Jeff! Indeed, clearing one’s mind and finding time to ‘think’ is integral in a successful search as well as to maintaining one’s sanity.
Often, we’re tempted to stay ‘put’ at the computer and other intellectually intensive chores beyond what’s healthy. It’s amazing what problems can be solved by switching up our activity, allowing problematic knots to disentangle themselves and become solutions, naturally.
I also liked the several other ideas you shared: how you may network and build community while biking, how being healthy is appreciated by employers, how biking will boost one’s feeling of achievement … and more.
Great job!
Jacqui Barrett-Poindexter
http://www.careertrend.net
“Your Value Into Words”
I did a similar list:
10 Mighty Reasons to Work Out During Your Job Search
I’ll add one more to yours: #11 Biking will take you outside into the real world where can network face to face with other avid cyclists.
Fantastic tips–my husband is a freelance designer who hasn’t been actively looking, but recently took up biking. Shortly after the offers started coming in. I see a definite correlation 🙂
Love your theme, BTW.
Darn, I’m jealous. The closest thing to a sidewalk is 5 miles away (I know… no excuse, but still). This post makes me want to go out and ride my bike.
I like the part about clearing your mind. We NEED to do that but get so caught up in our busy days that it’s hard to find the time. Just having that time to yourself, wind in your face, nothing but the open road (or fields/pastures/gravel in my case) in front of you is so good for the mind/body/spirit connection, which is integral to positive mental health.
Nice post. Makes me want to move to the city. 😉
Erin
I am not much into fitness, but then I am not getting younger either. I have spent most of my life at a desk, and I should think a lot more about your advice. Well, except the job seeking part … I hope I don’t have to include that part!
This is great motivation to ride a bike or do any type of fun physical activity to get endorphins flowing, help achieve positive mental attitude, get out into the community and away from the computer for a while. Remembering and proving to yourself that there is life during unemployment is very healthy!
I spread the words out loud in my facebook page, love the ideas, because everyone can do it & can get tremendous benefits, as long as they have willingness & know how to bike:) By the way, I know this info from my friend in twitter, @mnemonist (Sylvain Henry – Ottawa, ON) and he’s working on a cause “Jobathon” for unemployed.
I still need to learn how to bike, can do, but with 3 wheels, hmmm….
Take care & all the best,
Eri
You know me…I think people should cycle, regardless of looking for a job. I run a growing business and it’s the ONLY stress relief I have. It’s the ONLY time I don’t think…except, “How am I going to catch up to, and pass, that guy I see a mile ahead of me?” It keeps me in great physical shape, but also helps me clear my head daily.
Running and swimming are the same for me Jeff. I call it moving meditation. Great article and thanks for sharing the views and ideas.
Great post. I don’t bicycle much anymore but the same can be said for golf. It is a great way to get out from in front of the computer, network, exercise, and enjoy some fresh air while having fun hitting a little ball around and trying to get it into a hole.
Great post. I am always amazed at the amount of thinking I get done and the ideas I come up with while on my bike.
Inspiring Career parallels Jeff. As a cyclist – I know your reasons hold true. I first became interested in spending time on my bike when I lived in Seattle years ago. It was primarily the beautiful outdoor scenery and time to reflect that sparked my enthusiasm.
Cycling can be a useful and healthy way to expand the mind and reflect on life and goals. Some of my more interesting friends are avid cyclists – the fun travel stories and mutual love of the outdoors keeps us connected. I must admit the health benefits are an aside to the Culture of simply being on open road with no visible end in sight.
Viva Cycling Enthusiasts!
Good advice, Jeff. Walking and working out at the gym provide some of the same benefits for me. It’s a chance to think differently about a project or problem and return to the work refreshed in mind and body.
There was more to this article than I thought when I started it.
However, some of these benefits seem more likely than others.
1. good exercise, YES
2. stress reliever, YES
3. offers a doable goal to compensate for lack of success on the job hunt, YES
4. Sometimes going out and exploring companies physically can be a good complement to finding them in a phone book or industrial directory.
5. A good bike isn’t cheap
6. You still have to have the guts to come back to that company or call up and do something about your new find.
Will seeing the company close up make that easier? Maybe a tiny bit.
Also, the outside of the company might not be impressive even if it is a good bet. So you might dismiss something that would be a worthwhile target.
7. The odds that you are going to find a new employer among the bikers you meet (or their friends) are not in your favour.
Great article – little concerned with #2. I don’t think it is a good idea to take notes while riding 🙂 Like #1: if you found a company on the ride, after you get the job you could cycle to work. Worked for my friend Kelsey.
Keep up creative articles! When are we going to see top 10 reasons to work from home??
Gretchen
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Jeff, Well done. I’m a biker, too, so I can relate. Agree, excercise is a great stress reliever and opens up the creative mind. Best, Mike Ramer