I’m certain that you know by now that not much can be achieved in life without goals. It’s always important to aim for something otherwise we are unable to push forward and strive for personal development. Similarly, when it comes to our career, it’s important to aim for certain things that will bring you professional happiness. In fact many people find that setting career milestones helps them improve their professional experience and it makes their advancement tangible.
Things are not quite as simple when you are unemployed; no matter how hard you try to get a job it always proves to be close to impossible, which is why so many people lose hope and become discouraged. The key to a successful job search however is to treat it just like you would treat your career. You need to be committed and you need to be motivated, more importantly however, you need to set goals.
Job searching is difficult
Job searching is truly exhausting. It often seems pointless and we often find ourselves unable to see the light at the end of the tunnel. There’s a lot of competition, recruiters and hiring managers require specific things and you never know what it is that might appeal to them. But these things are out of your control so you shouldn’t worry too much about them, focus on what you can control and you’ll see wanders in your job search.
Why you need to set goals
In order to be effective in your job search you need to set goals and that’s because knowing what you are shooting for will get you closer to the end result. Just like when setting career milestones, setting job search goals means that you are building a ladder for yourself that will help you climb closer to the desired result.
By setting goals you are in essence pointing your job search towards a direction. So, for example, when you know that your goal for the day is to find network connections you will focus your energy on that. Building your job search step by step guarantees that you’ll stay on track and that all your goals will help you get closer to finding a job.
It’s also important to note that by setting minor goals in your job search you are managing your time effectively which means that you won’t be wasting your time on job boards day in day out and this can help speed things up. Correct time management and goal setting can also help keep you motivated as you’ll be focusing on minor tasks on a daily basis.
Use SMART goals
There’s a reason the whole world is raving about SMART goals and that’s because they are truly effective and they guarantee results. By setting SMART goals you are setting Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Timely goals and these goals will help you be specific about what you want to achieve from each component of your job search.
SMART goals will help you map out your job search to ensure that you arrive to your destination. It’s important to set minor goals during your job search because these will bring you a step closer to the end result and by making sure that these minor goals are also SMART you are building success for yourself.
Setting goals during your job search can ensure that you will be successful in getting a job. It’s just as important however to be confident that you will succeed and to not lose heart during the job search.
Do you set goals in your job search? Has this helped you in any way? Share your experiences with us in the comment section below.