Today is Monday, the start of a new week. Do you have your job search goals clearly defined? If not, now would be a perfect time to set your goals for the week.
Many job searchers go about their job search in a take it as it comes. They spend hours on the job board sites looking for jobs neglecting all the other strategies. Diving deeper into the World Wide Web is limiting your chances to get a job.
Take a weekly calendar that is divided by days and times of the day. Then block out times for online job search, updating and connecting with people on LinkedIn. Find out if there are any networking events taking place that you can attend—put those events on your calendar. Set aside time the days after the networking events to follow-up on everyone you met. Schedule time to follow-up on resumes you have sent and interviews you have been on. Include some time to set up your plan for the next week.
It is also necessary to set time aside for rest. Allow for time spent with friends and other fun. And finally, schedule time for exercise. You are just as valuable as your job search. Many job searchers forget to include taking care of themselves in their job search plan. You want to be at your best if you are meeting with people in interviews or meeting with people in your network.
An important thing to know about your weekly schedule is that you should follow it as you planned it, but there are somethings that will come up that you don’t know about when you make it. Such as an interview, phone screen, or a meeting with a contact.
Having a plan and working your plan results in accomplishing more than if you take each day as it comes. At the end of the week, you will be able to see what you have done and not just have to wonder what you have done during the past week. And that will make you feel better to know that you have been busy at your search.
