LIM College

When searching for a job, you must first acknowledge your emotions. These are probably the same ones that most people feel when beginning the process of looking for a new job: nervous, anxious, scared, hopeful, and eager. All of these feelings are normal and you are not alone. The great part about seeking employment is that you get to develop and deliver your personal branding statement to potential employers and are challenged to showcase the best of yourself. In the long term, honing and utilizing these skills will serve you well in the workforce. The key is to be consistent and not get discouraged when you are not seeing immediate results. Use the “extra time” to update all of your professional documents (resume, cover letter, and portfolio), build your online branding presence through professional networks such as LinkedIn, and develop your network. Your to-do list is probably full of tasks, but staying on track and using your time wisely is more important than simply “staying busy”.

According to the career development website Careerealism.com, there are six key areas in effective job searches.

1. Target
2. Tools
3. Timeline
4. Tackle daily
5. Talk your story
6. Take the job

Careerealism also helps job seekers by creating a project timeline. Check out the information below.

Photo credit: Kelsey Bennet

Timeline

As for a timeline for your job search, be realistic. If you are just getting started, most job searches take 6 – 12 months. The average for those unemployed is about 10 months, though working with a coach will make this shorter, and sometimes significantly shorter. But don’t tell your coach at the end of May that you want that perfect job by July.

It’s just not going to happen for most people.

Job transition takes time and a whole lot of thought, but it doesn’t have to wipe you out.

First off, all job seekers should have a project plan developed for their search. It can be as basic or elaborate as you want it to be. The key is to have one. I have seen too many of my clients come to me for one area of their job search but then flounder horribly in the time management and planning aspect. This is usually the area we tackle next. Below are some of the tools I utilize with my clients.

The key to planning your search is to plan. Sit down and write out the steps you will take and when and how you will achieve them.

Write the tasks in the left column. Break them down to as small a step as you can, as in “Project Plan Two” or in more general terms, but the steps should still be functional tasks, such as in "Project Plan One." All tasks listed must be defined enough to be able to be checked off all by themselves.

Job Search Project Plan One

Job Search Project Plan Two

Note: On this plan, the weeks can go out as far as you want, but be sure to break down the search by weekly segments. This is a more detailed plan which ensures a step is not missed or overlooked and that all chosen steps are assigned to the appropriate parties.