Setting Attainable Goals, Changing Up Your Routine, and Taking Breaks.

According to the recruitment software company Jobvite, it takes 43 days on average for an open job to be filled. But that average job search time isn’t anywhere near consistent. Looking for a job with the words “director” or “vice president”? Your wait time goes up to 76 days.

If you’re in job limbo in the summertime, it might be even harder to stay motivated. Vacations, summer parties, and, of course, killer heat might make it difficult to keep your head in the game. But summer can be a great time to experiment and learn new skills. Here we’ll give you tips for how to maximize your job hunting in the sun.

Create a doable to-do list.

The surest way to get burned out by your summer job search is by being too ambitious. If applying for 10 jobs a week means that you’ll send out 10 cookie-cutter resumes, make a goal of applying to 2 jobs per week with well-considered resumes you’ve had time to put through Jobscan’s resume optimizer. As an alternative, you can plan to reach out to two professional contacts each day, or else job search for one hour each morning. Simple, straightforward tasks that you can complete motivate you without being overwhelming.

Learn from the jobs you didn’t get.

You could have been nearly the right applicant for an open job. But perhaps you were lacking a killer resume or a sought-after skill. Get someone you trust to read over your resume. What isn’t compelling about it? Ask a hiring manager what skill or qualification you didn’t have for a position you really wanted. After you figure out what you’re missing, you can work on learning a new skill or expertise to make yourself even harder to turn down.

Change up your routine.

Sameness is the route to boredom, and boredom is the surest route to giving up. Instead, find ways to change up your job materials. Using a chronological resume? Try a hybrid resume format, the best resume format for job searching in 2016. Have a resume with duties that don’t sound compelling enough? Change it up by adding some quantifiable resume accomplishments. Searching for ways to change up your application package keeps you motivated and betters your chances of getting hired.

Take time off.

It’s not easy to stay positive on your summer job search, but you want to be upbeat and energetic when you’re called in for interviews. Most hiring managers make a hiring decision within the first six minutes and 25 seconds of meeting you, so you want to find ways to energize your life. Find a hobby that you really enjoy—be it hiking, volunteering, or cooking. If you set your mind on goals you can achieve—running a marathon, cooking that killer French dish—you’ll be more positive that you can achieve your job goals, as well.