If you are currently in job search mode, you should have a strategy that includes goals and the steps you will take to become employed. Often, I see clients who have a strategy and feel they are working it but, in reality, they are not. Some clients are still in the early stages and not sure how to go about finding their next job; they are doing self-assessments and identifying their preferred work environment but continue to feel frustrated and unclear. How do you know if you are not doing the work needed? There are a few ways:
- You are not consistently following your plan
- You cannot identify what type of career path you want
- You feel frustrated by your efforts
- You are not getting results
If you are truly doing the work in your career planning, then you will be focused and have direction and purpose that will keep you motivated and committed to the activities you have defined. Searching for a job, in any economy, can be a long process. It can be frustrating to search job boards and submit resumes day after day, especially if you are not getting results. But if you have done the initial work to define your goals and the daily strategies you plan to take, then you will not feel so frustrated or unclear. You will have a very lasered focus on a specific job and industry. A good career plan has various strategies and job-search activities you can choose from to keep you working on finding a job, even when you may not want to. Here are some of the various activities that should be in your career plan:
- job boards
- social networking sites, i.e. LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Connections Group, etc.
- informational interviews
- networking, both formal and informal
- association meetings for your industry
- alumni association
- job fairs
- cold calls/letter campaigns
- resume writing and revising
- keeping current in your industry through reading magazines, trade journals, trainings
- attend job seekers groups
- hire a career coach
As you see, there a lot of activities to keep you focused and involved in your job search. Find the ways to keep your emotional level up and develop a support team who can keep you on track when you seem to be lagging. Be honest about your efforts during this process to gauge if you are truly doing the work needed to find a job. Do you feel you are doing the work on your career plan? Any other strategies you’ve used? How do you keep your motivation? Would love to hear your thoughts!
Your Career Success Blog 