Executing an Effective Job Search Campaign – Tip 3 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 3 of 10: USE YOUR PLAN
Review the plan when you start work each day and extract your daily action list. Update the plan as you complete the tasks and always schedule follow up activity.
Set yourself targets and use your plan to meet them. Like all targets they should be SMART
- Specific
- Measurable
- Achievable
- Recorded
- Time Bound
Set weekly targets, and then review them after three or four weeks. If they were not met, is it because they were unrealistic or because you allowed yourself to be distracted?
Apportion your time in proportion to the likely results, in other words spend most of your time setting up, preparing for and following up networking meetings and only about 20 – 40% dealing with agencies and advertisements.
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.