1. A reactive career search – you need a job so you jump in and start applying for just about any position for which you might be qualified and interested. Your next steps are guided by what just happened or is currently happening, so your planning ‘horizon’ may be hours or at most, days.

2. A proactive career search – you begin by determining what kind of work you’d like to do and for which you are qualified. You get a good idea of how long you think your career search will take, and begin preparing your resume, applying to positions of interest, hoping to land an interview. You have a good idea of the basic steps you’ll need to follow to manage the opportunities and follow-up. Your planning ‘horizon’ is typically days and weeks.

3. A strategic career search. You begin by setting aside a block of time to educate yourself on the entire career search process before developing a written career search plan covering all phases of your search. Then you begin the process of taking action on each step of your plan. For strategic career search planners, the planning ‘horizon’ is typically months to a year or more.

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 career search (phone, computer, printer, etc.) as well as the documents, databases, checklists and other tools to help you manage your career 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 career 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 career 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 career 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 career search management tool is necessary. Whether manual, pc-based, or online, a career 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.