Let’s discuss an important part of a successful job search: How to take the elements/tasks of your job search plan and break them down into daily chunks.
Related:Use This Job Search Plan To Slash Your Time By 50%
I am a nut about planning and time management. Planning your daily schedule must happen if you are to obtain your goals faster, but it takes discipline and a system.
Take what you have in the project plan and put each of these tasks into your paper or online planners for the days and weeks you want to accomplish them. Be sure to book things as meetings when you need to have devoted time. I have to do this for my writing. I will book on the calendar a time slot to work on an article, a clients resume or project plan, just as I would a client call or meeting. I turn off e-mail and get to work.
You have to be this disciplined to get it done. If you feel disorganized, take the time, an hour or more if needed, to organize your plan and even your work environment.
I know there are times when I take 30 minutes on a Saturday or Sunday just to clean up my desk, put files away, pull out new files for the clients I will be working with in the coming week, and access my coming schedule for the week, even month.
I find if I walk into my office Monday morning and I have piles and piles on my desk, it throws off what I was planning to work on that morning and causes me to spend more time looking for things in piles rather than focusing on the task at hand.
This same process will help you plan out your calls, meetings, interview preparation time, and so on. This chunk of time will help you to be more productive and focused come Monday morning.
Now, for calendaring tools, here is what I find helpful. I utilize digital as well as paper time management resources. I have tried going paperless several times but it just doesn’t work for me. I really need to be able to view my month or week at a glance with all the big appointments standing out for me.
Find the best that works for you, but you must have three things:
All appointments in one place
All tasks in one place
You have to be able to see it quickly and easily and regularly
Time Management Tools
Online:
Outlook Calendar
Cozi Calendar app – for computer and smartphones
iCal
GeeTasksPro app
Offline / Paper:
Staples ARC
Franklin Covey
Dayplanners and Dayrunners
Mead (simple, inexpensive, small, weekly and monthly combo is my favorite)
What do you use that has been successful for you?
If this is an area you struggle with, contact me, I can help. I can suggest more resources in this area, so let me know.
This post was originally published at an earlier date.
The leaves are changing, the kids are back in school, and that familiar chill is in the air. You think it's the perfect time to look for a job, and it is! But are your job search fears preventing you from making that leap?
It's not uncommon to feel lost when embarking on your job search journey. After all, school teaches us everything except how to get a job. What should you put on your resume? What questions should you ask in an interview? How can you stand out in the hiring process when there's so much competition?
Are you feeling spooked yet?
Believe it or not, there's no need to be afraid of the job search process! You can land your dream job with the right tools and strategy. You can find a job that won't give you nightmares. Here are three spooky secrets every job seeker should know as they look for a job this fall.
1. An Effective Job Search Starts With An Interview Bucket List
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Despite your fears, you've decided to take the plunge and look for a new job. You might be asking yourself, "Where do I start?" The answer is simple: start by creating an interview bucket list.
An interview bucket list is a list of 10-20 companies you'd love to work for. Are you passionate about a company's products or services? Do you feel connected to its mission? Can you relate to its values and beliefs as an organization? If you answer "yes" to any of these questions, that company probably belongs on your interview bucket list.
Once you create an interview bucket list, you'll be able to conduct a targeted job search, one with direction and a foundation upon which everything else will be built. An interview bucket list helps you focus your job search and networking strategies on the right opportunities, making it easier to get your foot in the door at one of your dream companies.
2. Your Job Application Needs To Disrupt Hiring Managers
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In order to stand out in the hiring process, you need to disrupt recruiters and hiring managers. You accomplish this by doing two things: optimizing your resume and writing a disruptive cover letter.
A well-optimized resume includes keywords from the job description. This ensures your resume gets past the ATS and into the hands of the hiring manager. Once it's in front of the hiring manager, it needs to grab and keep their attention. Quantifying your work experience—adding numbers to your bullet points—will make you stand out from other applicants. Hiring managers will want to know more about you and your accomplishments, and that's how you land a phone interview.
Before that, though, a hiring manager will read your cover letter. To disrupt them, you need to write a disruptive cover letter (obviously!). A disruptive cover letter gives you the opportunity to tell a story about why you feel connected to the company you're applying for. It's that storytelling aspect that will stand out to hiring managers and compel them to pick up the phone and give you a call.
3. Employers Hire You Based On 3 Things
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You can't get hired unless you know what employers are assessing you on in the interview process. While your skills and expertise matter, companies actually hire for three things: personality, aptitude, and experience (in that order).
Most job seekers don't realize how important it is to demonstrate their personality, aptitude, and experience in an interview. You could have the right experience for a job, but if the hiring manager doesn't think your personality is a good fit for the company culture, you probably won't get a job offer.
Make sure you demonstrate your soft skills and learn how to answer behavioral interview questions to prove you're the best candidate for the job you're applying for, not just the most qualified.
Want To Learn More Job Search Secrets?
As you look for a job this fall, it might be helpful to know some more spooky secrets so you can get over your job search fears and finally take control of your career.
We know the job search process can be scary. However, it's important to get clear on what you want to do next and focus on conducting a strategic job search, or what we refer to at Work It DAILY as job shopping. This is the only way to effectively market yourself to employers. If they can't see exactly where and how you add value, then that's going to decrease your chances of landing the job.
The competition is fierce, and there are a lot of factors that are out of your control. But the one factor you can control is your job search strategy, the tools and tactics you use to land a job.
If you want to learn the secrets to conducting a strategic job search, sign up for our Job Search Bootcamp, a two-hour, on-demand video workshop that comes with a free workbook.
In this video workshop, you'll learn:
How to use backchanneling to get directly to hiring managers.
The secret to using a connection story to stand out against the competition.
How social media can be your secret weapon to get job interviews.
The resume format that is getting job seekers more job interviews.
