Searching for a new job can be as demanding and time consuming as the job itself. Looking for work carries the additional risk of either not finding the job you want or being forced to settle for something less than what you're worth. Success in a job search is defined by how quickly you can find and land the type of position you're looking for. By setting goals for your search, and then keeping an eye on your progress, you are greatly improving your chances of an early, successful finish to your job hunt.
Goals Work Best When They Are Specific
Every goal you set must be as specific as possible. Unless your target is something that can be clearly defined in a single sentence, you might be taking too broad an approach. Getting a job in the hospitality industry is a good ultimate purpose, but a specific goal needs to be narrower, such as getting a job managing the desk at a large hotel. Narrowly defining what you consider success helps you focus on specific targets, eliminate jobs you don't want from the field and zero in on just the ones you most want.
On a shorter timescale, try to set daily goals. Plan to apply to a defined number of jobs each day, and aim for one or two interviews a week. Even if those totals have to be adjusted, just having a specific aim helps keep up your spirits and motivates you to keep plugging away when you're discouraged, according to Career-Intelligence.com.
Measure Your Progress at Every Step
Measuring your progress toward goals is just as important as setting them in the first place. Keeping track of where you've applied and what type of response you got keeps you from wasting time applying to places you've already tried and helps you identify areas of opportunity you haven't tried yet. The ability to look back over the progress you've made, or just to see that you've been hitting your goals every day, is another great motivator that can keep up your morale.
Keeping a job-search diary is the easiest way to monitor your progress on the hunt. Write down your daily and weekly goals in a blank journal, and then put a check mark next to each target you met. Another way to monitor your progress is to notate a dry-erase calendar. Jot down your goals, then mark them with green or red ink to show whether you've reached your goal or not.
Win Little Victories With Achievable Targets
Setting goals you can reach is the key to making identifiable progress. Setting unrealistic goals for yourself is worse than not setting goals at all. If you're ambitiously planning to apply to dozens of companies a week, it's likely you're setting yourself up for failure when you can't meet your target. You may also be sabotaging your job search by rushing through prospects in an effort to get too much done on a short timetable.
To save yourself the frustration of unrealistic goals, try asking around among other people who have successfully found work in the field you're interested in. Ask them how many employers they applied to each week, and develop an idea of what's really possible. As you track your progress, be sure to adjust your targets accordingly. If your goal is to submit 30 applications a week, but you find that you're rarely topping 25, the best course may be to lower your quota to a more realistic figure.
Be Realistic About Your Prospects
Very few job seekers can jump straight from their first applications in a new industry into a well-paid job in senior management at the most prestigious company in town. Avoiding the pitfall of unrealistic goals is central to ultimate success in your search.
Take an honest look at what you're qualified for. If the type of work you want most is outside your current expertise, you might need more education or experience in a related field before you can realistically apply for it. Consider joining an interest group related to your industry, which keeps you current on the latest trends, according to The Wise Job Search.
Setting a Timetable Helps Guide You Toward Ultimate Success
Set a timetable for your job search, and hold yourself to it as closely as possible. This helps you keep focused on your search and serves as an early warning system if something is wrong with your approach. A timetable also gives you a clear road map forward when you're in the thick of applications and interviews.
Looking for work sometimes feels like swimming upstream. So many factors are out of your control that it seems like there's nothing you can do to speed up the process. Setting goals for yourself, from daily application targets to weekly interviews and months-long timetables, puts you in control of the search and greatly improves your chances of finally landing the job you want.
Photo Courtesy of Mary Knelser at Flickr.com
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