Getting Organized in Your Job Search

Many job seekers have an unrealistic picture of how much time the job search will take them. If you are currently working full-time but want to change jobs, plan to spend up to 8 hours each week on job searching. If you are currently unemployed, your search needs to be your full-time job.

If you have been searching for several weeks or months, an employer will want to know how you have been spending your time. Have activities with practical application to the job market to talk about. For technical people whose knowledge may become outdated quickly, be able to show how you are staying current in your field. A great way to stay busy and develop contacts in your field is to look for opportunities to volunteer.

When conducting your job search, make sure you have a clear picture - of what is important to you, what you want to do, what you do and don't enjoy doing, and what skills you have to offer. In short, only you know what kind of work you want and what you are best qualified for. Once you've figured out what you are looking for, develop a job seeking plan. Your work search will be more effective if you map out your strategy in advance. Set daily and weekly objectives so that you have a concrete way to evaluate your progress, and determine the amount of time you will spend on each job search activity like research, targeting jobs, and making contacts. You should aim to organize your job searching days just like you would an ordinary work day.

Remember that you will need support while undertaking your search. You will need both financial and moral support to help you through your job seeking process. If you don't have sufficient financial resources, you may want to consider part-time work. Something with a flexible schedule will still allow you to attend interviews. Jobs through a temporary employment agency are another option, as you may need to take an interim job until the position you want becomes available. This type of employment also allows you to broaden your qualifications and develop contacts in your areas of interest.

It is important to have moral support during your job hunt as 'no' will often be heard much more than 'yes' , meaning that you will need people around you to boost your confidence. Besides friends and family, another great potential source of moral support can come from old professional colleagues, friends in your field, and new contacts that you make each week. Keeping in touch with these people will also help you to network and find employment.

You will find that organizing and structuring your job search will make it much easier, more pleasurable and will give you a greater sense of accomplishment each day. By giving yourself set goals each day, you will be less likely to get discouraged. Finding a rewarding job is a process, so by creating and following the necessary steps to complete the process, you will find yourself in new employment much more quickly.