Whether you have recently been on the job market or have not searched for a job in a number of years, you know that searching for a job is not easy! Long gone are the days of just searching through the want ads of your local newspaper and sending out your resume on good card stock paper. Today there are a variety of methods that need to be incorporated into our job searching tactics – networking, online applications, job boards, recruiters, and staffing agencies -just to name a few. And, without structure, dedication, and focus, you could be setting yourself up for endless disappointment. Don’t let that happen to you!
Here are 3 Tips that will increase your chance for success.
1. Treat finding a job as if it were a full-time job – because it is. If you had a job, you would report to work at a scheduled time, set aside some time for lunch (or work through it), and end your day around the same time each day. You would work your scheduled number of days each week as expected. And, you would work hard to accomplish your daily activities and goals because doing well in your career depended on it.
When you are searching for a job, you should follow the same type of schedule because your success depends upon it. Treating your job search like a part-time hobby guarantees that it will take longer. So beginning tomorrow, report to “work” and spend the day on tasks that lead to a job.
2. Approach finding a job as if it were a project. This entails setting goals for yourself, making plans, and monitoring your progress. Apply all of the tools and skills that you used in your last job to the project of finding your next job opportunity. This includes managing your time, ensuring you have appropriate resources, resolving problems, making decisions, and followup – just to name a few. Also be aware of any opportunities that you can take advantage of in addition to addressing any barriers that may be challenging for you.