Effective Goal Setting in the Job Search Process

We just crossed the halfway point of 2009 and it made me think, what would I be doing if I was an HR leader with a company? It would be midyear goal review time. I would be sending out that reminder (okay, I am sure it was perceived more like a nag) to business leaders, managers, and my own staff that is it time to review the status of your goals and objectives for the year. Are employees on track? Do they have any issues or barriers? What help is needed to accomplish them? I would stress to managers the importance of discussing the progress of the goals with their employees, and having their employees share their progress with the rest of their team. Just like in business, goal setting in the job search process is critical for a successful job search. Setting targets and proper alignment will keep you focused and help you achieve the end goal: landing that right job.

I recently met with a friend that is seeking employment. She had been testing the waters for about three months in the freelance world, but has found that she wasn’t as happy working outside the structure of a traditional workplace. She likes getting up each day with the purpose of going to a company and being around a team of other creative professionals. While she said she was going to continue to do freelance work as a source of income, she had determined that she was going to seek a regular job in her creative field with a company. She shared with me that she was struggling with setting a consistent daily schedule for herself but was taking the necessary steps to become more focused in her job search. She explained that she has recently aligned herself with another friend who is out looking as well. They now meet every other Monday at 8 AM to review their progress. Since they know each other very well and are in the similar creative field they know that they can’t bluff each other on what they did or didn’t do the prior two weeks. She had decided to expand her networking efforts and joined some groups in her field to attend their networking functions. She also was contacting some creative agencies that place professionals like her on temporary assignments. It is very common in her field for temporary assignments to become permanent. And lastly, she had determined that she would go to the coast for a couple of days with her friends and recharge herself for her new focus of finding a job with a company.

Whether she had realized it or not my friend had just completed a goal setting session for her job search plan. She had all the elements needed for effective goal setting.

• Set the goal with the end target in mind. She had decided to seek regular full time work instead trying to stay as a freelancer.

• Establish tactics or actions to enable you to achieve the main goal. My friend set plans to join groups and meet with creative agencies.

• Align your goals in step with your life goals, annual goals, monthly goals, and weekly goals. My friend wanted to set a firm schedule to give herself the permission to do other things during the summer besides just looking for a job. She was also reading a book titled 10-10-10: A Life-Transforming Idea, by Suzy Welch, about making priorities and balancing your life.

• Keep your goals manageable. Don’t over commit yourself. She knew that she needed to set a regular daily schedule with regular tasks and appropriate blocks of time just like she would in a typical workplace.

• Write your goals down and post them in a place where you can see them! I didn’t see her goals and plans but knowing the type of person she is, I am confident she has them written down and posted near her computer. Share your goals with someone else. Ask for their support. My friend found a search buddy to share and help hold her accountable.

• Regularly review your goals, adjust and update. She adjusted her goals along the way with the decision to switch from freelancing to a regular position.

• Celebrate achievements and completions. Going to the beach for a couple of days was a celebration for her. She had accomplished several action steps over the past couple of weeks and was rewarding herself with some needed R&R.

Use goal setting in your job search process just like you did at work. It will have the same positive effects in your search as it does at work. It will have the added benefit of keeping your goal setting skills sharp for when you get back into the workplace.