Job hunting takes time and if you want to do it well, you should plan carefully. Drafting an action plan could be very helpful. It should detail the various stages of your job search along with timing you want to associate with each stage.
The first step should be to analyse your career and personal drivers. Why do you want to find a new job ? What are you interested in ? What are your goals, in the short and long term ? What do you like and what do you dislike ? Once you know what are your drivers, you can focus on the type of roles and organisations you would be interested in. You should then make a list of positions you want to apply for. Then you can apply!
Keep a record of the positions you have applied for, along with the date, listing the information sent and company/contact name. Update your search file everyday and make sure you follow-up each contact following 7 to 10 days, keeping track of all your job applications. If you are interested in a specific role, a specific industry and/or a particular location, but feel you are restricting your options, give yourself a timeframe (1 or 2 months) to find your ideal position. If the timeframe expires, enlarge your search criteria to include other viable options.
Once you have secured an interview with a potential recruiter, ensure that you have sufficient time to gather as much information as possible on the company and on the role; the internet can be a great source of information and now days almost every company has a webpage often containing a lot of detail.
About the author
Valerie is currently Senior Human Resources Manager working in Italy, fluent in French and Italian. Responsible for over 1500 employees across Europe, involved in an HR Transformation project covering 25 countries across Europe.
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Published
04 October 2006
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