Critical job search Action Plan
What is the most important document in any person’s job search?
Perhaps it is your resume, LinkedIn profile or application letter…
The answer is your ACTION PLAN.
Having a great resume and other job search resources is useless unless they are used effectively to gain access to job opportunities, receive interview invitations and ultimately land your perfect job.
You cannot build a house without a detailed set of plans, and similarly to build a results-oriented job search you need a strategic Action Plan.
So what are the major components of an Action Plan? Using the SMART goals (SPECIFIC, MEASURABLE, ATTAINABLE, RELEVANT, TIME BOUND) a targeted Action Plan can be built, bearing in mind that a mature job search consists of a broad range of activities and is not focused only on a couple of actions.
Actions may be built around the following headings and then broken down into specific tasks
Print media
Industry publications
Online job boards
Detailed record keeping
Connections
Networking
Industry-specific job sites
Informational interviews
Direct action
Target marketing
Recruiters
Weekly reviews
In most cases a job search is a long term exercise that is easily derailed by outside pressures, so a well-crafted Action Plan will keep you focused on the task that is really a “full-time job” …a job search is not a holiday.
Measuring the success of each job search activity needs to be viewed over the longer term as it often takes time to start getting results.
Patience, resilience and self-discipline are key components to any successful job search and this is where a well-designed Action Plan can put structure into any job search.
Remember that your Action Plan will hold you accountable and able to measure your success against a pre-determined set of goals. Nothing like “a bit of accountability to keep people motivated”!
A good Action Plan is also a living document that can be added to once the initial actions have been accomplished, or modified if necessary as additional workplace intelligence is gathered.
At the heart of any successful job search is an Action Plan…a fundamental document that cannot be ignored.
"Every time you have to make a choice about anything, think does this go toward or away from what I want? Always choose what goes toward what you want." - Barbara Sher
ACMA creates successful career paths through detailed individual assessment, research and job market analysis, combined with expert personalised coaching.
Note: A Career Development Association of Australia research paper found that when professional career guidance occurred that the participant was 2.67 times more likely to secure a job.
All program services can be delivered via our interactive online cloud-based career management "Career Talk" system and/or "one-on-one" in our Sydney, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Canberra, Melbourne, Cairns or Auckland offices.
