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Job Quest: 5 steps to your next JOB
Originally by Amy Lindgren (c) 1999 Prototype Career Media
1. Job Title: Position Desired
The job title or position desired is the most important part of a job search goal. Without this you don't know what to ask an employer for. Imagine shopping for a car without any idea what you want. Should it be a family car or a sports car? New or used? What model do you prefer? Without this basic information, you don't even know which car lot to visit. It would be so much easier if you knew that you wanted say, a late-model Ford with four doors and cruise control. Now you can start shopping!
Your job search will be most effective if you have a job title in mind. Then your friends can keep their eyes open, employers can tell you if that job is likely to open up, and you can ask for help from temporary agencies, job hotlines, job search counselors and headhunters. This will
shave months off your job search. If you can't settle on a job title, you can at least name the industry or department you are interested in. It's fine to have more than one job title in mind, but keep it down to two or three. Too many job goals are the same as having none at all! Remember, you can always change your goal if the first one doesn't work out.
2. Salary Needed (not desired)
Wages are the most emotional part of the goal setting process. No one wants to work for less than they are worth. Still, sometimes you have to take less in order to get the job you want. Before you can do that, you need to know your absolute bottom line - based on your needs, not your pride. This figure is not for the employer, but for you. You need to know your range. Otherwise, you may lose opportunities in your job search.
3. Geographic Area to Work
If you are willing to re-locate, pick your top three cities to work in, then rank them. Start your job search by concentrating on your first choice city, then expand to the second choice city as your job search goes on. If you don't plan to move, define the range you want to work within. Do you want to work close to your home so you can walk to work? Then this is your target area. Would you draw the line at a 40-mile commute to work? Then this is your outside ring of job search.
4. Work Conditions
The work conditions you want are usually closely tied to the job title or industry you choose. For example, a person who chooses to be a truck driver already knows they will be on the road a lot, will often work alone, and will wear casual work clothes. Sometimes deciding the work conditions can help you choose job titles.
Use this short list of work conditions to get started. Note the conditions you would like most in your next job. Then, add more of your own:
- Indoor work
- Outdoor work
- Travel
- Talking with many people
- To work at a desk
- Work on a computer
- Physical labor
- Work alone
- Work on a team
- Help people
- Stable schedule
- Flexible hours
- Casual dress
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