Mastermind your Job Search – Tip 2 of 10
Trying to identify and secure a new role is hard enough so here is this week’s tip that you can take to improve the probability of your career success.
Tip 2 of 10: MANAGING YOUR CAMPAIGN
One of the most important elements in managing your campaign is managing yourself. If you are not in a role, treat this as your job; choose the working hours that suit you but stick to them. Ideally start at 9 in the morning and finish at 5 in the evening but allow for regular breaks.
Don’t be distracted by household tasks and agree an informal ‘contract’ with your family. Perceiving types in particular are generally happy to put unpleasant tasks aside when something more enjoyable can be done. You cannot do this at work because deadlines loom, so set your own deadlines and meet them.
If you are in full-time employment the danger is that your current work tasks will take priority over your job search. Set aside particular times for your search and make them sacrosanct. i.e., finishing early once a week so that you can meet with people; an hour or so either before or after work on other days for reviewing and responding to opportunities and a couple of hours over the weekend for online research etc.
Whether you are employed or not, do not lose focus when a promising opportunity comes up. If it works out, you will not have wasted anything by pursuing other avenues and if it doesn’t you will have other irons in the fire. Not only should you not let hot leads cool, but it can be very dispiriting having to kick start your campaign after a disappointment.
So, managing an effective job search campaign might not be as daunting as you first thought and may not require anything more than a fresh perspective. It sounds simple and it is, it’s just not always easy, especially when trying to do it alone.