What’s Your Job Search Strategy for 2018?

 

Before you got to work on your current résumé or looked at specific opportunities in your field of interest, did you develop a strategic plan for your job search? Planning is defined as the thinking that precedes the work. Likewise, strategic planning is the process of identifying outcomes one to three years in the future and devising a blueprint to reach those objectives.

Why bother to take a strategic planning approach to your job search? Because failing to do so could wind up costing you a quarter million dollars or more in lifetime earnings! A few well-spent hours up front mapping out your overall job search strategy could be one of the very best investments you make in your future, producing a higher dollar-per-hour return than even completing your education.

There are three kinds of job searches being conducted today:

Strategic job search planning considers a job search in a holistic sense, not just a series of actions or reactions you make up as you go. It means that your job search activities will take place as part of an over-arching plan, not as isolated activities. It realistically recognizes that an effective job search will take months for entry level positions and likely a year or more for senior positions. It relies on up-front research on processes and methods with an emphasis on how each step of the job search can most effectively be executed.

Here are six questions to answer during your strategic job search planning:

1. What are my specific objectives? The answer to this question is not as simple as “a job.” You need to know specifically what kind of job you want, where you’d like to live and work, the size and type of employer for whom you’d like to work, the income range reasonable to expect with what you bring to the position, and similar objectives.

2. What are my assets? Personal assets consist of your own set of experiences, knowledge, skills and talents that can produce positive results in the workplace. Networks consist of people you know and who know you from your social networks, current and past positions, your education, and your personal acquaintances. Tools consist of the equipment you’ll utilize in conducting an effective job search (mobile device, computer, social media, etc.) as well as the documents, databases, checklists and other tools to help you manage your job search.

3. What is my branding strategy? Your brand is what people associate with you, based on their impressions over time. It encompasses your personal values, educational credentials, practical experience, appearance, and messaging. An effective job search draws on all of these areas to create the perception potential employers will have about you.

4. What is my online strategy? Today many important job search activities take place online, too many to not have a strategic plan in place. Areas here for consideration include social network presence, electronic resumes and postings, job boards, dealing with employer’s applicant tracking systems, and electronic communications.

5. How will I manage all of my job search activities? Consider the complexity of staying on top of all the details of just a single employment opportunity. Now multiply that by 20, 50, or 100 open positions that fit your ideal criteria, and you quickly realize that a job search management tool is necessary. Whether manual, pc-based, or online, a job search database is a must to ensure timely actions and responses.

6. What is my strategy for each position of interest? While most positions will follow similar steps of applying for the position, research, a series of interviews, etc., consider crafting a specific strategy for each opening you decide to pursue.

7. How and when will I measure progress against my plan? While you don’t know in advance the specific job opportunities that you’ll pursue, you need to establish a review process that will enable you to review your progress and make ongoing corrections to each opening of interest

Bottom Line: While it may seem like a lot of extra work, a strategic job search plan will save time when you need it most by having a targeted, efficient job search. You’ll improve your chances of getting a better job faster in your field of interest.

This article is taken from my new book, Get a Better Job Faster™, now available on Amazon.com in two editions, one for college students and recent grads, and one for experienced professionals and skilled workers. Each all-new edition explains more than 3,000 job search and career launch best practices.