The first thing you’ll want to do is decide what sort of job you are looking for. If you don’t know what sort of job you are looking for you should write down all of the things that you are qualified to do on one side of the piece of paper and then write down all that you enjoy doing on the other side of the paper. The jobs that appear on both sides of the sheet of paper are the type of jobs that you should ideally be looking for. It’s easier to get excited about your job search when you know what you are looking for and you actually look forward to doing the job associated with the companies you are applying with.
Second you’ll want to consider where you want to live and work. This is a key factor because you might need to move to gain employment in the field that you are interested in if there is a lack of that type of work in your current area. Moving from one place to another can also affect pay, so it’s something to consider seriously before you start applying for jobs so if something out of state does come up you’ll be able to handle it calmly without the stress and anxiety that might otherwise accompany a job offer or interview outside of your local area.
Next, you’ll have to figure out what sort of hours you would like to or need to work. This can be tricky because you may want to work certain hours but the jobs that you are qualified to do and would like to do don’t actually line up with your preferred hours. This is when you must make a choice between a job that you like and hours that you aren’t used to or hours that you’re used to and a job that’s not all that great. In the long run, you can get used to new hours, but a bad job typically does not get better. You’d be better off going with a job that you really like and allow yourself to adjust to the hours because you’ll stick with it and really enjoy what you are doing.
Then, you need to decide how much you expect to be paid for your job. This doesn’t have to be a deal breaker for your job search, but you need to have an idea of what type of income you need to support yourself and your family without going broke. Consider how much you are worth and whether you believe you are being realistic. If you aren’t sure what to expect from certain jobs, employment websites are a great way to obtain this information as many companies post salaries right on job descriptions for you to get an idea of what they are looking at. If the job that you would like to do doesn’t like up with what you need from income, it’s time to reevaluate your situation.
Once you’ve decided what you would like to do, when you would like to do it, and how much you’d expect to be compensated for your work, it’s time to really get searching for a job. This is where all your planning and acknowledging what you are looking for will come in really handy. You need to write your resume with an emphasis on the qualities that relate to the career field you are interested in. Once you’ve written a resume or gotten help writing your resume from a professional, it’s time to start submitting. Because you are aware of what you are looking for, you’ll be in control and you can decide what sort of pace you are working at to find a new job.
You should decide how many jobs you’ll attempt to apply for each week. You might want to plan by the day, but you most people find a weekly goal much easier to reach and find satisfaction from. When you choose a goal, stick with it. Consistently applying for jobs will allow you to reach a greater number of people and find employment much sooner. Following through with your plans and reaching your goals will also limit the amount of anxiety you feel about the job search because you know that you are doing everything possible to find a job.
When you really take the time to plan ahead for your job search you’ll feel more in control of what is going on and you’ll be much less likely to stress out and panic if you don’t find a job right away. They key is to write all your information down so that you can review your plans and revise them if you do not have any luck finding a job. Those that break the job search down into a controllable process not only stress less, they usually find a job much sooner than those that sort of apply for jobs randomly and freak out when they don’t work out.
Searching for a job isn’t easy, and searching for the right job can be even more difficult. Take control over your job search by managing your wants and needs and bringing them together in a way that will prove successful for you. If you’ve never liked searching for a job, you might find the experience a lot more tolerable and efficient if you follow the steps above!
