A Simple And Successful Job Search Plan For Any Job Seeker

A job search plan is an essential tool in looking for a job. If you don't have one, you job search will be misdirected, unfocused, and potentially fruitless.

Like any other project, your job search should have a mapped out series of steps so that you don't miss anything or make any costly errors along the way. You should know what you are doing every step of the way.

A thorough job search plan looks like this:

week one:

~ Identify your target industry/company - this will require a series of simple exercises to help you figure out exactly what you want to do. See the career finder for help with this.

week two:

~ Identify the various job search methods available to you. Nowadays, there is more to looking for a job than simply reading the Saturday classified ads. You'll need to list each method, and be prepared to pursue them all to a certain degree.

~ Schedule yourself. Once you've completed the above steps, you can start to lay out a daily action job search plan. determine how many hours you will devote each day to each task on our list, i.e. spend 60 minutes each day looking at online job boards. Spend 1 hour each day sending resumes out to specific targeted jobs. Spend 1 hour each day searching local publications for new new job postings. Spend 6-8 hours each week focusing on your networking pursuits. For more on career networking as a job search strategy, click here. Spend 30 minutes each day tweaking your resume to suit a particular job posting, etc.

week three

~ Prepare your documents. You'll need a winning resume and a master cover letter, which should be adapted to each job pursuit. Don't start with the resume until you've completed the steps described in week one, because the contents of your resume should be largely driven by the job or industry you are going for. Utilize my resume writing tools to create a winning resume.

week four:

~ Continue with your daily breakdown, remembering to incorporate time for follow up. If you've contacted a possible lead, then you will need to follow up on the initial contact with a meeting request. If you've met with a networking contact or had an actual interview, you need to have set aside some time for sending thank you notes, etc. Need more help with how to write thank you notes, and following up? be sure to visit the articles section.

week five:

~ You should be in a fairly solid activity pattern now, with clearly scheduled tasks, and goals each day. You may need to tweak and modify the time you spend on each task or pursuit based on your own circumstances. Some might find they want to devote more time on networking pursuits and less time visiting employment centers. That's fine as long as you have a job search plan that incorporates the major methods and you are sticking to it, and staying productive at all times.

Remember that looking for a job IS a job, so it requires the same focus and commitment that you would apply at work. Your dream job won't just land in your lap, but you can go out and make it happen, by carefully following all the steps on this site.

Good luck!

Don't forget to check out these other information-packed pages to help you in your job/career search.

• Setting realistic expectations
• The almighty resume
• The cover letter
• The job interview
• Preparing for interview questions
• Evaluating a job offer
• The compensation package