Natasha had put her job search on hold to deal with some personal issues this year. Ready to return to the job of looking for work, she found herself wondering whether her efforts had stalled and what to do next…
“Should I focus on industry, A, B, or C?
Or maybe I should try something more like X or Y?
…or maybe I should stick with what I know?”
Natasha was all over the map.
She had lost her direction and some of her confidence. She was grasping at every opportunity, rather than focusing on what she wanted. She needed a comprehensive strategy that would take her from where she was to where she wanted to be.
“It feels like I’m starting over.” She confided in me.
And, in some ways, she was starting over. And that was OK.
It is much better to begin again than to try and conduct the same job search efforts over and over again and expect a different result.
Natasha needed to re-set. Here’s what I recommended:
🚀 𝗥𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗵 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗷𝗼𝗯 𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝗲𝗳𝗳𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘀. Concentrate your efforts on what you know you want to do. Stay focused on organizations where you’d be *thrilled* to work.
🚀 𝗥𝗲𝗱𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸𝘀 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲. What’s your finish line? How will you know your job search has been successful? Paint me a colourful picture of what you want that job offer to include. The more detail, the better. This will keep you from wasting time and energy on jobs that were never going to be a fit for you in the first place.
🚀 𝗥𝗲𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗻𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸. If you’ve taken time away from your network, it’s time to begin nurturing it and strengthening your relationships with people again. Look for ways you can add value for the people in your circles. Carve out time to reconnect with those who mean the most to you. Doing a little work now will pay dividends in the future.
🚀 𝗥𝗲𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗶𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁. Commit to your job search. There will be great days, good days and not-so-good days, but all of them lead you one step closer to finding the job that’s right for you.
It may feel like you’re having to start your job search from scratch, but you’ve already learned so much. Now, it’s time to apply what you know and what you’ve learned to find that job that is going to make the difference between “having to go” to work and “getting to go to work.”
Time spent crafting your plan will save you effort, energy, effort and frustration in the long run.
Related Categories: Client Story, Job Search
About The Author
Maureen McCann is an award-winning career coach, master resume writer, and master certified interview, employment, and career strategist whose clients include C-level executives, managers, and professionals in all industries including the Canadian banking, oil and gas, healthcare, IT, and government sectors.