Job hunting: Plan, prepare & perform.
Job hunting takes time. If you want to do it well, you should plan carefully.
First step?
- Analyse your career and personal drivers:
- Why do you want to find a new job?
- What are you interested in?
- What are your goals, short and long term?
- What do you like/enjoy doing?
- What do you dislike doing?
Once you know what your drivers are, you can focus on the type of roles and organisations you would be interested in.
Speak to a specialist recruiter in your field to discuss opportunities, current market trends, salaries and your transferable skills. They can give you feedback on the types of roles that may be of appeal to you, skills/experience required for specific roles and how realistic your chances are (or what you need to do to become more marketable). They may also be able to suggest roles/companies that you may previously not have considered/be aware of that could offer interesting options for you.
Consider also whether it would worth speaking with your line manager or other senior colleague to discuss the possibilities of internal moves. They may not be aware of your unhappiness in your current position/desire to change and be able to discuss future company strategy/opportunities this may open up for you.
If you are interested in a specific role, a specific industry and/or a particular location, but feel you are restricting your options, give yourself a timeframe (1 or 2 months) to find your ideal position. If the timeframe expires, enlarge your search criteria to include other viable options.
Keep control
Keep a record of the positions you have applied for, along with the date, listing the information sent and company/contact name.
Update your search file regularly and make sure you follow-up each contact
Once you have secured an interview with a potential employer, ensure that you have sufficient time to gather as much information as possible on the company and on the role.
Draft an action plan
Drafting an action plan could be very helpful. It should detail the various stages of your job search along with timing you want to associate with each stage.
“Stay committed to your decisions, but be flexible in your approach.”