Steps to take before embarking on a job search- Step #2 Target your search
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Steps to take before embarking on a job search- Step #1 Know your skills, strengths and interests
Any job search should be targeted toward specific companies that match your interests, skills, and experience. Too often, people looking for a job take the approach of casting a large net where they indiscriminately apply to any company that remotely matches their qualifications. This is certainly understandable if driven by the desperation of longterm unemployment.
But, the most efficient and productive job searches are made by those people willing to take the time to first do a self-analysis. Understanding first “what you can bring to the table” in experience and assets to your target companies will better enable you to express those benefits to any recruiter later during the interview.
Part of a targeted search involves analyzing a logical “career path” that will get you from where you currently are (point A) to your targeted position (point B). Ask yourself; can this move be made by one career move? Or, will it take a transitional move, followed by another move to get there? If still employed, can you make lateral moves within your existing company to get to your targeted position?
Consider what “next” jobs, on your career path, could be leveraged from what you already know to help you reach your target – your skills and experience plus the people (network!), products, services, players, politics, companies, and other organizations you have worked or interacted with and/or learned about.
This is the essence of your targeted plan!
It’s understandable if your target changes as you travel along your career path. Everyone’s likes and dislikes change over time. But, approach any thoughts of a job change with a targeted focus. Only then will you know who you are, where you are going, and how to get there.
At Key Corporate Services, our specialists also have a targeted approach to matching great candidates to the right companies. Give us a call to see how we can help.
From The Key Corporate Services Blog Team
