Executing an Effective Job Search Campaign – Tip 10 of 10
Trying to identify and secure a new role is hard enough but launching a campaign without clear focus and thorough preparation will invariably lead to a less than optimal result. Therefore, your pre-campaign preparation should include:
- A Career Search Objective that answers the question, “So, what are you looking for?”
- A powerful CV, Capability Profile and LinkedIn profile aligned to your objective and a comprehensive set of marketing messages.
- The actions you need to take to respond effectively to advertised positions, approach head-hunters and recruiters, make targeted direct approaches and network confidently.
- How to manage the interview so that you optimise impact, credibility and fit.
- How to negotiate effectively to increase the offer and secure other benefits.
Assuming that you can tick the above 5 points, over the next 10 weeks we will be sharing with you 10 things you can do to ensure that your job search is an effective one.
Tip 10 of 10: MANAGING EXPECTATIONS
Treat your job search as a marathon not a sprint. If securing that opportunity happens early, then fantastic, but get into the mindset that you are in it for the long haul. So keep your search going at a pace that you can maintain and build on rather than trying to do everything in the first few weeks/ months.
Recognise that there will be an ebb and flow depending on the time of year and use those traditional slack periods to re-evaluate and refine, but don’t stop. If you are being smart about what you are doing, whatever work you do now will not go to waste.
If you find things slowing down, think of other things that you can do that would be beneficial, possibly some upskilling via an online course or joining a conversation, either of these may introduce you to new people who you can then add into your network.
Take each and every interaction as a learning point, there will be some ups and there will be some downs, so adopting a growth mindset will help you to (a) deal with the downs better and (b) allow you to adapt and refine your strategy as you can apply that learning to future situations.
If something is not working, change it, but don’t give up! There is nothing wrong in altering direction if you feel that your goals have changed, or the circumstances have changed so that the path you originally set out on is now not the best one for you.
So, managing an effective career search campaign might not be as daunting as you first thought and may not require anything more than a fresh perspective and way of looking at it. It sounds simple and it is, it’s just not always easy, especially when trying to do it alone.