Take a Vacation (or at least a break)!

"All work and no play..." - you know how this ends!

In this episode, we chat about the importance of taking a break to recharge the batteries and come back with renewed enthusiasm and energy.

Because who doesn't like to get away once in a while? 

Download, subscribe, share - and let us know where YOU like to vacation! 

Pinto Employment Search LLC - Logistics & Supply Chain Recruiters
Chris & Nancy Pinto, Owners
Website:  https://www.pintoemployment.com/

Chris Pinto:
Phone: 908-578-5814
Email:  chris.pinto@pintoemployment.com
www.linkedin.com/in/chrispintoemployment

Nancy Pinto
Phone: 201-988-2293
Email:  nancy@pintoemployment.com  
www.linkedin.com/in/nancypinto

We would also like to thank and credit the following websites and all artists for use of their music and sound effects:  pixabay.com, freepd.com, fesliyanstudios.com, mixkit.co, freesound.org, and incompetech.com.

Thank you for listening! Please subscribe, share and rate!
Chris Pinto
https://www.chrispinto.com/
IG: @chrispeterpinto
FB: https://www.facebook.com/chris.pinto.940
Twitter: @chrispeterpinto
LI: https://www.linkedin.com/company/pinto-employment-search-llc/
Email: chrispintoactor@gmail.com

Music and Sound FX Credits: https://freepd.com/

Transcript

CHRIS:  Whether you asked for a job transition or not, searching for a new position can be scary, frustrating and disheartening.  Times and technologies change quickly, and there’s a lot to organize!  But the journey can just as easily be exciting, fruitful and rewarding.  I’m Chris Pinto. 

NANCY:  And I’m Nancy Pinto.  Together we own Pinto Employment Search, an executive recruiting firm specializing in the supply chain and logistics industry.  You can learn more about us at pintoemployment.com.  Our combined experience in transportation jobs and recruiting is over 50 years!  We’re here to help you navigate the world of resume writing, job applications, interviews, negotiating compensation, and everything in between - to help you land the job you want!  

CHRIS:  We will also regularly drop a bonus episode where we announce current job openings we’re working on.  It’s set to music and state trivia, and we think it’s more fun to listen to job descriptions than read them, so give it a listen and share!  

NANCY: Welcome to the Job Search SOS Podcast!  We just got back from a two-week vacation, or as they say in some countries, holiday.  You’d be hard pressed to find someone who doesn’t enjoy taking a break, whether it’s to travel halfway around the world, or, as we’ve seen more commonly since March 2020, for a STAY-cation.  Or even an urgent DAY-cation, where you just need a quick recharging of the batteries.    

CHRIS:  It might seem strange to talk about the importance of taking and enjoying a vacation on a podcast dedicated to finding employment. But breaks and rest are necessary if we are to be at our best in all areas of life. 

NANCY:  Thankfully, we’re seeing a welcome and much-needed cultural shift towards acceptance and immersion in some well-earned time off.  We’ve even seen out-of-office replies blatantly stating that they’re spending time with loved ones and will respond upon their return.  Good for them! 

CHRIS:  Now, we’re not talking about those rare creatures who are happiest while working, hate time off, and don’t mind putting in 16-hour days on the regular.  Nor are we addressing people who, for one reason or another, seem to be on a permanent vacation (though I suspect both lifestyles include unique stresses of their own).  

NANCY:  Most of us live a life that contains a multitude of obligations: to family, friends and work, but we usually leave ourselves for last.   I don’t know about you, but I love DOING things.  I need to work in order to feel like a productive member of society.  I love “doing life” with loved ones.  I put in time, whether I like it or not - to exercise my body and my mind.  And I feel alive when working on my creative hobbies.  All these things are wonderful, important, and time-consuming aspects of our lives.  

CHRIS:  Let’s also be honest, sometimes they’re draining:  physically, mentally, and emotionally.  Something that was once challenging has become routine and boring.  We feel stuck, entrenched.   Something unexpected or unpleasant happens to throw everything off.  

NANCY:   Unless we’re great at compartmentalization, aspects of our lives intertwine and affect each other.  And as a friend put it to me once, we carry around the “weight of life.”   Our career, whether we’re coasting along satisfied, or searching for a new job, is part of the weight of life.  

CHRIS:  As with everything else, if we don’t take appropriate breaks, we risk burnout.  We need to recharge physically, mentally and emotionally to make space for rejuvenation and to deal with the inevitable unforeseen things that will throw a wrench into our lives.  Stepping away helps us view the big picture and figure out what would be the best next move, like looking at the whole chess game in progress, not just one piece.  

NANCY:  If you’re searching for a new job, chances are the search itself feels like a job.  You’re on your laptop and phone updating your resume, writing a unique cover letter, scanning for job openings, networking, submitting applications, interviewing, organizing your search, and following up.  Your emotions are probably a roller coaster of hopes and disappointments.  You might be super motivated one day, ready to dazzle the world with your skills and personality, the next you just wanna say fuck it and wallow in your misfortune.  

CHRIS:  It’s important to listen to your instincts to know when to step away and regroup.  Pat yourself on the back for your progress and hard work, and reassure yourself you will be back at it in no time.  Your world isn’t going to crumble just because you take a couple days off.  Turn your attention to something else - spend time with loved ones, take a walk, engage in some self-care, whatever that means to you.  

NANCY:  When you feel a little more clarity of mind, think about your job search.  Is there some new approach you could be taking?  Could your resume be formatted better?  Have you been focusing only on one aspect of an industry, when perhaps your skills can be applied to another side of it?   For example, many people who have worked for cargo transportation companies have successfully made the transition to the logistics department of a retailer who imports or exports their product around the world.  Basically, they went from working on the vendor side to the customer side.  They know how air and ocean transportation works, so their skills are valuable to a company whose expertise is not in logistics.  

CHRIS:  Point is, when you’re stuck on something you’ve been working on and need new inspiration, the best thing to do is walk away for a little while.  It may sound counterintuitive, but it’s been shown to work.  The brain keeps plugging away at your problem behind the scenes, so that when you return to it, you have fresh ideas you can implement!   Obviously this also works for all other areas of life:  career, writing, relationship issues, etc.  Stuck?  Step away and look at the entire chess game before making your next move.

NANCY:  One other note.  Don’t beat yourself up or feel bad or selfish because other people have it worse.  There will always be someone who has it better and there will always be someone who has it worse.  Your job is to make yourself the best you can be, so that you can show up in a kinder, more productive way for those you live and work with.  You can’t do that if you’re burned out, exhausted, frustrated and depleted.   

CHRIS:  And so that’s what we did!  As much as Nancy and I love our work - recruiting and podcasting - we needed the break and the change of scenery.  The stresses of the past year, changes in the economy, not being able to travel as much as we like, and other general life stuff just started to boil in a cauldron of muck that we needed to empty.  We drove up the California coast, from Los Angeles to Monterey and back, with very little in the way of planning.  And it turned out to be one of the best road trips we’ve taken.  Arriving in Morro Bay our first day felt like one gigantic exhale.  

NANCY:  Over the course of the next two weeks, we let ourselves decompress and be fully present wherever we were.  We let ourselves feel it all, from exhilaration as we swam in the freezing 61-degree Pacific Ocean, to the melancholy as we explored the cemetery on a gray drizzly day in Pacific Grove.  While we kept an eye on urgent things, we gave ourselves permission to take this break, which was really just a teeny tiny blip in the grand scheme of things.  Our world didn’t crumble because we took two weeks off.  On the contrary, we made space for appreciation and gratitude when we stepped back and examined how lucky we are to do something we love.  

CHRIS:  We’ve eased into our return, taking the necessary time to organize ourselves and jump back in intelligently.  We shook off the accumulated stress and frustration that’s inherent in running a business so that we could see clearly again, knowing that stress and frustration will build up again after some time...and that’s when we will know to take our next break. 

NANCY:  Thanks for sticking with us.  We’d love to hear how YOU regroup, where YOU love to vacation, and any other tips you might have!  Our next episode will be a bonus episode announcing the hottest logistics jobs we’re working on.  

CHRIS:  Our website and contact info will be in the show notes of every episode, so please feel free to share with anyone you know, and reach out with comments, questions, or just to say hello!

NANCY:  We would also like to thank and credit the following websites and all artists for use of their music and sound effects:  pixabay.com, freepd.com, fesliyanstudios.com, mixkit.co, freesound.org, and incompetech.com.

CHRIS:   Thank you for listening to the Job Search SOS Podcast!  
Please visit www.pintoemployment.com and feel free to reach out to us.  See you next time! 

Pinto Employment Search LLC - Logistics & Supply Chain Recruiters
Chris & Nancy Pinto, Owners
Website:  https://www.pintoemployment.com/
Chris Pinto: 
Phone: 908-578-5814
Email:  chris.pinto@pintoemployment.com
www.linkedin.com/in/chrispintoemployment
Nancy Pinto
Phone: 201-988-2293
Email:  nancy@pintoemployment.com  
www.linkedin.com/in/nancypinto