Setting Job Search Goals in the New Year

I don’t know about you but I’ve found that the older I get the more I need to write things down. If I don’t do this I find that my thoughts and activities are scattered. Goal setting helps here.

Every January when I worked in a business environment, I got used to writing formal annual goal statements. It was part of the culture and while I (and everyone else) was never in the mood to do it, we put aside the time to design a specific road map for the year ahead. I even taught a class about it.

Even now when no one is looking over my shoulder, I actually look forward to getting my 2017 goals down on paper and starting the year with a fresh direction. It’s not too difficult if you make your goals SMART. SMART is the acronym for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timely. 

Goals aren’t just for work or for your job search; they help in all parts of your life. Here’s an example of one of my personal goals. In the spring of 2017 we are putting our house on the market. Obviously there’s a lot of tasks to do between January and March. One easier task is to clean out my hall coat closet. “To make a SMART goal for that task I’d write out: 

Clean out and organize the hall coat closet by January 31, 2017. This includes:
1. Sort coats, gloves/mittens and hats by size by Friday January 6, 2017.
2. Organize coats, gloves/mittens and hats to donate or throw away by January 13, 2017.
3. Donate usable coats, mittens or hats to Good Will by January 20, 2017. Bag and toss remaining items into the receptacle in the Pep Boys parking lot on the same day.
4. Clean, sweep and paint closet by January 27, 2017.

Setting goals for your job search is important in that it will help you visualize your future, clarify the steps to take, and focus on dates. Within this context, your goals should be written in specific terms, have precise time frames, and they should be measurable. A specific goal tells you exactly what you want to accomplish. It's helpful to break each broad job search goal statement into manageable smaller statements. This step not only keeps you on track, but it allows you to feel a sense of accomplishment when each step is achieved. A time-oriented goal statement should include specific target dates and the approximate time you will need to complete each of the steps. Here’s a sample that breaks down the steps needed to write a resume.

Prepare final version of resume by January 25, 2012.

1. Identify areas of expertise and accomplishments by January 11, 2017.
2. Choose resume template by January 11, 2017.
3. Identify job specific key words by January 11, 2017.
4. Create career history using key words by January 11, 2017.
5. Create summary statement using key words/phrases by January 12, 2017.
6. Type first draft using selected template by January 12, 2012.
7. Review and get objective feedback from contacts A, B and C by January 20, 2017.
8. Type final version by January 25, 2017.
This example is for just one step of the job search process - writing the resume. You should to go through the same steps for career assessment, networking, designing your LinkedIn profile or planning for your interview.

If you have any questions on using goal setting for your job search, please let me know. Happy New Year!

Goal Setting and Your Job Search

Today I am starting a journey of personal transformation. While I look forward to what is ahead of me, I worry about the adjustments that I’ll have to make. One of the things I did to kick-start my plan was to set goals. I plan on reviewing them every morning and then again at night. You can do the same thing for a job search. Here are a few tips on how to do that.

In my book, Job Search for Moms, I talk about goal setting as a fundamental part of any business planning process and as such, should also be a vital first step of your job search plan. Setting goals allows you to visualize your future, clarify your steps, and focus on dates. It is the cornerstone of the job search planning process in that it allows you to focus on necessary steps while weeding out any needless distractions. It’s also highly motivating and a useful way to measure your time and progress.

Within the context of the job search, your goals should be written in specific terms, they should have precise time frames, and they should be measurable. A specific goal tells you exactly what you want to accomplish. It’s helpful to break each broad goal statement into manageable smaller statements. This step not only keeps you on track, but allows you to feel a sense of accomplishment when it's achieved. A time oriented goal statement should include specific target dates and the approximate time you will need to complete each of the steps. It should include concrete criteria or action steps that will allow you to measure your progress.

Setting goals in the planning process of your job search allows you to focus and move in the right direction. It also gives you a sense of purpose or accomplishment to check off each action item as you move forward. Here are a couple of sample goal statements that may help you take the necessary steps in one phase of your job search; writing your resume.
Resume Development Checklist

Prepare final version of resume by August 12, 20__.

Identify specific skill sets by....
Create measurable accomplishments by…
Create career history by....
Create summary statement by....
Choose resume template by...
Type first draft using selected template by....
Get feedback from contacts by....
Type final version by...

Creating Strong Resume Wording

While talking about resumes the other night to a very bright group of job seekers, I had a mini epiphany.  I notice that when preparing their resumes, most people have trouble coming up with measurable, specific examples of their past achievements.  I'm telling you, so many of the resumes that I have seen look exactly like job descriptions and have phrases like, "Displays excellent communication skills" , "Utilizes project management tools", "Demonstrates leadership skills" ,"Innovative thinker".  Since these words don't tell me anything about a person's skill set, how are they going to make an impact to the hiring manager?
As we discussed the importance of measurable results, it dawned on me to relate creating resume statements to that of goal setting.  I asked the group how many of them participated in annual goal setting at their former companies.  The majority had.  Then I asked them how they went about it and basically, most of them followed the SMART acronym.  SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Timely. We then took this and applied it to writing resume statements.  We decided that we didn't really need the A and the R (yaaaay, less steps!) but we certainly did need the S, M and T.  So what does that look like?

Specific: Make your resume impactful by being specific.  What did you do that made an impact? Let's say that you once managed a large domestic operating unit. Don't just say that.  Something like, "Manage $24MM US budget with influence on $43M North America unit expenditures with emphasis on improving total cost of ownership.  2010 accumulated cost savings of $1.1 M and projected 2011 savings of $584K" has more of an effect.

Measurable: Think of these words, "So what?" How were you acknowledged by your clients, did you have certain items published, did your excellent customer service skills save time or money?  In other words, what did your excellent skills result in?  Here’s an example, "Plan and schedule weekly shift work, conduct monthly quality control calls and correct service problems to ensure clients are satisfied with support and services resulting in a consistent completion rate of 98%." This is so much stronger than just, “Excellent customer service skills.”

Timely: Were you always ahead of the projected schedule, did you consistently make the target? Did something that you designed, developed or implemented save time for you, your organization or customer? An example is," Developed process validation and operating procedures for the start-up of a new pharmaceutical production facility ahead of scheduled implementation date resulting in a 20% increase in operating revenue.”

Can you see the difference? Think about goal setting when you write out your resume statements by asking yourself these three questions:

·         So what?

·         Resulting in what?

·         What was so special about that?

Don’t let your resume read like a job description or it may be passed by.

Goal Setting for the Job Search Process

As promised, here is a piece from Job Search for Moms about setting goals to maintain your focus on your job search. As you can see, the steps listed here are not just for Moms.

Goal setting is a fundamental part of any business planning process. Here too, it should it be a vital part of your job search plan. Setting goals allows you to visualize your future, clarify your steps, and focus on dates. It is the cornerstone of the job search planning process in that it allows you to focus on necessary steps while weeding out any needless distractions. It is also highly motivating and a useful way to measure your time and progress. Within the context of the job search, your goals should be written in specific terms, they should have precise time frames, and they should be measurable. A specific goal tells you exactly what you want to accomplish. It is helpful to break each broad goal statement into manageable smaller statements. This step not only keeps you on track, but it allows you to feel a sense of accomplishment when each step is achieved. A time oriented goal statement should include specific target dates and the approximate time you will need to complete each of the steps. A measurable goal statement should include concrete criteria or action steps that will allow you to measure your progress. Setting goals in the planning process of your job search allows you to focus and move in the right direction. It also gives you a sense of purpose or accomplishment to check off each action item as you move forward. Try using the “Resume Development Checklist” to create your goal statement and take the necessary steps toward producing the resume.

Resume Development Checklist Prepare final version of resume by August 12, 20__. Identify areas of expertise by.... Choose resume template by... Create career history by.... Create summary statement by.... Type first draft using selected template by.... Get feedback from contacts by.... Type final version by...

Agggg! I Hate New Year's Resolutions!

It's 10:15 am on New Year’s Day and I am reading all the resolutions my friends have written on their Facebook pages. Good for them but not me, I never made or followed resolutions.  It never made sense to me that I had to declare that I was going to change or do something differently because it happened to be the first day of the first month of a new year.  It just set me up for disappointment if I broke my promise.  Who needs that?  Instead, I make objectives throughout the year and then a couple of goals to keep me on the straight and narrow to get there. For example one February my objective was to clean out the coat closet by month end. That was an easy objective and not one that was going to disappoint me if I didn't get it done. I then set SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Timely) goals to help me accomplish the tasks. They went something like this:

1.  Sort coats, mittens and hats by size by Friday (date).
2.  Organize coats, mittens and hats by (date) to donate or toss. 
3.  Donate usable coats, mittens or hats to church by (date). Toss remaining items into receptacle in the Pep Boys parking lot on the same day.
4. Admire spacious closet daily. 

You can do this with your job search too. In my book, Job Search for Moms I talk about breaking your job search goals into SMART manageable steps because you don't want to overwhelm yourself or set yourself up for disappointment.  Your job search goals are so much more important than cleaning out your coat closet but the premise is the same.  I'll share those tips with you tomorrow (shoot; now I have to make another goal). 

Happy New Year! We'll get there, step by step.

Oprah Winfrey and O Dream Board

I subscribe to Oprah Winfrey's electronic newsletter. Over the past few months it has provided a lot of good articles on understanding yourself and who you are meant to be. Several months ago there was a career assessment from Marcus Buckingham that was spot on.

Today Oprah introduced a new feature called the O Dream Board and readers are asked to plan, set goals and chart a course for success (so similar to Job Search for Moms - why hasn't Oprah called me yet?). Try the quiz entitled, Are You Heading In the Right Direction."