Time is precious. Whether it’s for work or personal reasons most of us have a lot going on in our lives, I know I do. How often do you stop to think about where your time goes? Are you focusing your time on achieving the right goals or just filling your time with a never-ending pile of tasks?
We can be our own worst enemy because it’s very easy to convince ourselves that being busy means being effective. Unfortunately it’s not the case. Not all effort is equal – you may be familiar with the Pareto Principle which states that 20% of your effort produces 80% of the results. Some of the problem stems from the fact we all like the quick fix of satisfaction we get from crossing something off our to-do list. That means we let our time get eaten up as we complete the easier things that give a sense of success – but fail to achieve anything really meaningful.
And of course the goal of ‘getting everything done’ is simply impossible because there will never be an end point. So give up on getting it all done and instead start focusing on doing what matters most. You need to identify and focus on the activities that are priorities and deliver the highest returns on your effort and get rid of those that don’t.
Tracking your goals with lists.
It’s likely you do use lists already and with good reason. Research shows pressure doesn’t just come from having too much to do but from trying to keep track of it all. So the list takes care of the job of remembering things and frees up your brain to focus on successfully completing the work.
But lists can be counterproductive if the contents are simply an enormous list of activities you know you’ll never complete. It ends up becoming another source of pressure.
So how can you successfully prioritize the right things?
Forget the detail for a moment.
You need to take time to reflect on the right goals. Think about the bigger picture and work out what it is you want to do and why. It may be that your work goals are already set for you or from part of a broader set of company targets. But you still need to be clear about exactly what your contribution to those goals looks like.
Break down your goals effectively.
Even once you’ve clarified your goals, they can actually be really demoralizing if you don’t know how to go about achieving them. You need to break each one down into smaller steps to start moving towards where you need to be.
Work backwards from your end goal.
Every time you identify a smaller goal, check if it can be further broken down into sub goals.
These sub goals will start to become tasks. Order them chronologically to give you a logical list of everything you need to complete to reach your goal.
Factor in enough time to realistically complete the tasks, taking into account other people’s deadlines as well. If you identify a problem – talk to them about it.
Think about the context of your goals.
There’s another important step to ensure success in reaching your goals. Before you begin working towards them, consider whether you need any particular resources to make each step happen. It could be specific knowledge, assistance from others, equipment…whatever it is, make plans now so it’s available at the time when you need it.
Acknowledge your success.
Making even a small amount of progress on meaningful work is a powerful motivator. So occasionally try writing a ‘have done’ list to help you judge whether you are making progress with the right goals.
And who knows – you may discover you’re actually being rather hard on yourself. Sometimes it’s only when you reflect on how much you’ve accomplished in your day or week you recognize- and start to give yourself credit for – the extent of your success in achieving your goals.
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Is your job search turning into a grind with no end in sight? It may be time to take a step back and reevaluate your entire approach.
In cold weather climates, the beginning of spring is a time to clean the house and get organized—a practice known as spring cleaning. Through the years, spring cleaning has taken on a larger meaning with people using the time to organize and declutter things in their lives.
For professionals on the job hunt, a little spring cleaning (metaphorically speaking) could be a great way to reinvigorate your job search. Here are a few strategies your job search spring cleaning should include.
Reevaluate Your Job Search Approach
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Make a list of the last handful of jobs you applied for and see if you can identify any positive or negative trends. Consider things like:
How did I learn about this job?
How did I apply for the job?
Did I earn an interview?
What was the ultimate result?
A lot can be learned about your job search approach just by answering these questions and identifying patterns. For example:
Negative Trends
You discovered five jobs through job boards, applied to all of them via the job boards, and never heard back from any of them.
The common pattern here is applying through job boards. This isn't to say that job boards don't serve a purpose in the job search process, but they have their limitations, and you can't run your job search entirely off of them. When you apply through a job board, there's a good chance that your materials will never get past the applicant tracking system (ATS) and never be seen by an actual person.
One simple fix is to research who the hiring manager or recruiter is that posted the position and email your materials to them directly.
The more efficient fix would be to take a proactive approach by putting together a bucket list of companies that you want to work for and start making connections on LinkedIn with people who work at those companies. You may already know some people who work there or have connections that can refer you to some individuals.
This is a great way to network your way onto a company's radar.
Positive Trends
You applied to three jobs via referral, were invited to two job interviews, and made it through multiple rounds of interviews for one of the jobs before being passed over for someone with a little more experience.
The pattern here is that getting referred to a job by a professional acquaintance is a great way to land a job interview. This indicates that you're leveraging your network well and you should continue to focus on your networking efforts.
The next step is to review the interview process and determine what went well and what needs to be improved. Sometimes the interviewer will provide feedback, and that feedback can be valuable. However, not everyone is comfortable with giving feedback.
Chances are you probably have a good idea about areas of improvement and the skills you need to gain. Put together a plan for addressing those shortfalls.
The good news in making it deep into any interview process is that it indicates that the company likes you as a potential employee (even if the timing just wasn't right) and the experience could be a roadmap to a job with that company at a later date, or another similar opportunity elsewhere.
Give Your Resume & Cover Letter Some Much-Needed Attention
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Are you continuously sending similar resumes and cover letters to each job opening with only minor adjustments? If so, your strategy needs some serious spring cleaning.
The reason why it's so important to tailor your resume is that throughout your career, you acquire numerous skills, but the job you're applying for may only be focusing on 6-8 of those skills. In that case, those skills must rise to the top of the resume with quantifiable examples of how you successfully used those skills at previous jobs.
Remember, recruiters go through hundreds of resumes. They need to be able to tell from a quick glance whether or not you're a potential candidate for the position.
While updating your resume, you could also spruce up your LinkedIn profile by highlighting the skill sets that you want to be noticed for by recruiters.
As for writing a good cover letter, the key to success is writing a disruptive cover letter. When you write a disruptive cover letter, you're basically telling a story. The story should focus on how you connect with the particular company and job position. The story could also focus on your personal journey, and how you got to where you currently are in your career.
If your resumes and cover letters aren't unique, now is the time to clean things up and get on track.
Build Your Personal Brand
Just because you're looking for work doesn't mean that you don't have anything to offer. Use previous career experiences and passions to build your personal brand.
Ask yourself, "How do I want other professionals to view me?"
Pick an area of expertise and start sharing your knowledge and experience with your professional network by pushing out content on your LinkedIn and social media accounts. Good content can include blogs, social media posts, and videos.
By sharing content about your experiences and passions, you slowly build your personal brand, and others will start to notice. The content could lead to good discussions with others in your network. It could also lead to reconnecting with connections that you haven't spoken to in years, or making new connections.
You never know when one of these connections could turn into a job lead or referral. The trick is to get on people's radars. So, when you're cleaning up your job search, be sure to build a plan for personal branding.
Maintain Healthy Habits During Your Job Search
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Your job search is important, but it's even more important to know when to pull back and focus on personal health and spending time with family and friends.
There are actually things that you can do for your own enjoyment that could help your job search in the long run, such as:
Grab coffee with a friend - It's good to engage in light conversation with friends during challenging times. And if your job search does come up, remember that most people have been through it themselves and you never know when a friend may provide you with a good idea or lead on a job.
Volunteer - Volunteering is a great way to get involved in the community and help others. In addition, if you develop a little bit of a career gap while looking for a job, you can always talk about how you filled that time volunteering, if you're asked about it during a job interview.
Continue to focus on other passions - Are you a fitness nut? Blogger? Crafter? Continue to do the things that bring you happiness. And if you're in a position to profit from your passion through a freelance job or side hustle, even better!
Spring is the perfect time to clean up and improve your job search so you can land the job you want. If you're struggling to find a job, follow the tips above to reinvigorate your job search—and watch your career blossom!
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This article was originally published at an earlier date.