There are two planning related considerations to take into account. First is the actual job search plan of attack. Your Objective becomes very important when you map out your campaign (see labels for posts related to Job Search Objective) because it lays out in detail what it is you are trying to achieve. Imagine throwing things in gear without a clear idea of what it is you are out to accomplish? Sadly it happens all the time when it comes to searching for a job.
The second consideration is the longer term view and for this I like to work with a five year vocational goal. In a nutshell, what do you plan on doing and where, in five years?
Your Job Search Objective is immediate in nature, it's what you are working on right now - and - it should fit in with your five year plan. Surely there are times when you must move quickly, doing something that may not fully align with your longer term goal. This falls under the crisis category. Its the need to line up a job and income asap. Most of us have been there.
However in most cases, linking your immediate Job Search Objective with your longer term five year goal is possible if you take the time to do it. Remember that you are really an independent free agent in search of a customer (potential employer). This means you are in business for yourself operating in the marketplace just like all other businesses. Most successful businesses engage in planning, why not you? Why is it that many people bump along from job to job re-actively with little or no planning, short term or long term?
This won't do. First of all, make the effort and take the time to define your Job Search Objective. Let this be your guide to planning out the step by step process of searching for the job that best fits this objective.
I will have much to say in future posts concerning the nuts and bolts of searching. For now, I want to convey the importance of connecting your immediate need (a job now) with your longer term need (your five year vocational goal). The bottom line is that it is very important and you shouldn't skip doing it.
Also, don't overlook how an immediate and perhaps pressing need can assist you in developing a longer term goal. Bang it out, stating the what and where of this goal clearly. Work backwards to the present. Connect the dots. Get serious and determined. Become edgy about it. Searching for a job can bring game to your game. There can be anxiety but also clarity. Things and considerations not really important are easier to cut out during the heat of the moment, and job searching can bring the heat.
Life planning is tricky. Stuff happens. There are lots and lots of moving parts. Defining longer term life goals can be a real challenge. What's more, once started its easy to get tangled up in the net of the planning process. Nonetheless, do your best to prevent this by staying focused on doing Vs thinking. Plan and do. Then tweak and do again, working steadily toward your Objective.
Travel well.
John Jeffrey Lundell
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