OK, so here is where I let you know HOW to set goals. You can read Part 1 of this article here.
First schedule time on your calendar, soon. Truthfully an hour should work to start. Go get a good cup of coffee and settle in a comfortable chair. Bring a note book and pen and really nothing else. Turn off the cell phone! Yes, I said it...turn it off or hide it so you aren’t tempted to surf. Then find a quiet place. Make goal setting something to look forward to. Not a painful task. Think about it. This time is all about you. What else could be better?
Next, start writing ideas and thoughts for each of the sections. To make it easier, start off with one area of your life such as Career on one page. Write “Career” at the top and go from there. Don’t try to skip through all of them at once. Stay on one topic area until you are out of ideas or thoughts. Then move on.
After your initial brainstorming session, schedule another “time alone,” again some place comfortable and pleasant to you. Personally I sometimes go to the library and other times, I love being at Panera Bread or Starbucks. If I really do not want to get distracted at all, I go to the library. If I lived in the south, I would be at the beach. Go through your list. If you have hand-written your list, try typing them up so they are easier to read and to edit for the long term. Unlike many of you my handwriting is awful. I try to write too fast and it is a mess so I really try to type from the second round on.
Trim down to a few core goals for each category. Next, break down to monthly goals if you feel daring. If you feel even more daring, do some goal setting for five and ten years out. Remember keep things straight-forward, realistic, but will cause you to stretch.
Keep editing until you love what you see. Get jazzed about the possibilities of what a year from now could look like after you have achieved these goals! Seriously, get jazzed! Finally, type them up, print off, and carry with you. Or find a place where you can access your document at least monthly, if not more often, to look at them, even if briefly, to see where you are at. Do a little mental check-in as you review them. Am I making progress or back-sliding?
One of my new goals I added in 2009, I really like. It is an annual goal of how many books I will read. I have never been a strong reader. Actually I am pretty slow but I have gained a love of reading and want to do more of it. I read mostly non-fiction so my reading is not usually “light” but every once in awhile I pick up an entertaining fiction book and read it in a week. My goal is not just about how many books but it is to really help me gain wisdom and knowledge and to increase my reading speed. We become faster readers the more we read.
That’s it. It is not rocket science although to those that don’t enjoy setting goals because they constantly get discouraged, take heart, try it again. Set more realistic goals and give yourself grace if you don’t reach all of them with a champion flair or with style and grace, it is okay. Sometimes we stumble along but still succeed.
For instance, my goals for 2009 included getting healthier - which means to me eating better than I do, find an exercise routine that I will really enjoy and gain strength and energy. Well I did not do so well on this one but I did do some research in the area of nutrition and began taking Zumba classes. I was reminded in my Zumba class how much I love latin music and dance. And although it is not an "exercise routine" we got a new puppy which I need to take for walks regularly. This gets me out of my home office at least once a day. Some progress was achieved this year.
Even though my “get healthy” goals did not go as far as I had planned or envisioned, I did accomplish more in my career goals. I finished eight months of certification work for my career coaching and came out with two certifications and a whole bunch more knowledge that I use with my clients every day. I gave myself “grace” in the get healthy area because I accomplished more than I imagined in my business goals.
I think you get the point. Go, have fun with it. Here's to the goals that are yet to be.
Lisa Adams, founder of Fresh Air Careers, is a certified career management coach and job search strategist, specializing in helping young professionals navigate the waters of their first career transition.Read more » articles by this approved career expert | Click here » if you’re a career expertPhoto credit: Shutterstock
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.
![Goal Setting in Your Career [Part 2]](https://www.workitdaily.com/media-library/image.png?id=19293082&width=980&quality=85)
OK, so here is where I let you know HOW to set goals. You can read Part 1 of this article here.
First schedule time on your calendar, soon. Truthfully an hour should work to start. Go get a good cup of coffee and settle in a comfortable chair. Bring a note book and pen and really nothing else. Turn off the cell phone! Yes, I said it...turn it off or hide it so you aren’t tempted to surf. Then find a quiet place. Make goal setting something to look forward to. Not a painful task. Think about it. This time is all about you. What else could be better?
Next, start writing ideas and thoughts for each of the sections. To make it easier, start off with one area of your life such as Career on one page. Write “Career” at the top and go from there. Don’t try to skip through all of them at once. Stay on one topic area until you are out of ideas or thoughts. Then move on.
After your initial brainstorming session, schedule another “time alone,” again some place comfortable and pleasant to you. Personally I sometimes go to the library and other times, I love being at Panera Bread or Starbucks. If I really do not want to get distracted at all, I go to the library. If I lived in the south, I would be at the beach. Go through your list. If you have hand-written your list, try typing them up so they are easier to read and to edit for the long term. Unlike many of you my handwriting is awful. I try to write too fast and it is a mess so I really try to type from the second round on.
Trim down to a few core goals for each category. Next, break down to monthly goals if you feel daring. If you feel even more daring, do some goal setting for five and ten years out. Remember keep things straight-forward, realistic, but will cause you to stretch.
Keep editing until you love what you see. Get jazzed about the possibilities of what a year from now could look like after you have achieved these goals! Seriously, get jazzed! Finally, type them up, print off, and carry with you. Or find a place where you can access your document at least monthly, if not more often, to look at them, even if briefly, to see where you are at. Do a little mental check-in as you review them. Am I making progress or back-sliding?
One of my new goals I added in 2009, I really like. It is an annual goal of how many books I will read. I have never been a strong reader. Actually I am pretty slow but I have gained a love of reading and want to do more of it. I read mostly non-fiction so my reading is not usually “light” but every once in awhile I pick up an entertaining fiction book and read it in a week. My goal is not just about how many books but it is to really help me gain wisdom and knowledge and to increase my reading speed. We become faster readers the more we read.
That’s it. It is not rocket science although to those that don’t enjoy setting goals because they constantly get discouraged, take heart, try it again. Set more realistic goals and give yourself grace if you don’t reach all of them with a champion flair or with style and grace, it is okay. Sometimes we stumble along but still succeed.
For instance, my goals for 2009 included getting healthier - which means to me eating better than I do, find an exercise routine that I will really enjoy and gain strength and energy. Well I did not do so well on this one but I did do some research in the area of nutrition and began taking Zumba classes. I was reminded in my Zumba class how much I love latin music and dance. And although it is not an "exercise routine" we got a new puppy which I need to take for walks regularly. This gets me out of my home office at least once a day. Some progress was achieved this year.
Even though my “get healthy” goals did not go as far as I had planned or envisioned, I did accomplish more in my career goals. I finished eight months of certification work for my career coaching and came out with two certifications and a whole bunch more knowledge that I use with my clients every day. I gave myself “grace” in the get healthy area because I accomplished more than I imagined in my business goals.
I think you get the point. Go, have fun with it. Here's to the goals that are yet to be.
Lisa Adams, founder of Fresh Air Careers, is a certified career management coach and job search strategist, specializing in helping young professionals navigate the waters of their first career transition.Read more » articles by this approved career expert | Click here » if you’re a career expertPhoto credit: Shutterstock
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