How To Get A Job - Prioritize Or Die

Look, saying your job search will die if you can't prioritize are strong words. Of course, people find jobs every day without having a plan ... or even knowing what the word "prioritize" even means.

But unless you want to depend mostly on luck, you need to have a plan, you need to prioritize that plan, and you need to work that plan.

So, how do you prioritize your job search?

1. Set Goals

Without knowing where you're going, you'll never even know if you get there. The first step is to define what you're looking for in the job you seek. What is important to you? What does that job look like?

But your goal should not be limited to just your ultimate goal, that of getting a job. You should have monthly, weekly, and daily goals as well. For instance, maybe your daily goal is to find 2, or 3, or 10 new leads. Or a certain number of new networking sources. Or a certain number of companies hiring. Or a certain number of interviews scheduled. Smaller goals help you stay on track, give you small successes, and help you stay motivated whereas a large goal can sometimes be overwhelming.

2. Develop A Routine

Believe me, structure helps. Rather than having to re-plan every day, over and over again, when you have a set structure you just do what you do everyday. Saves time. Saves energy.

Your structure might be determined by the day of the week, or by certain hours of each day. Setup your structure based on efficiency. For instance, most people (not all) seem to have the most "brain power" first thing in the morning. So, when setting up your daily structure, try to do things that require the most thought, creativity or brain power for that time of the day. Some people schedule things they like the least first, knowing that once they get those things over with they can move on to more enjoyable tasks.

3. Avoid The "Time Thieves"

Probably the biggest complaint I hear from job seekers is that they never really get to the important things because of all the little issues and problems that arise during the day. If you have kids, you know what I'm talking about.

It is critical that your structure predetermines what happens during the times you schedule as far as interruptions. It is best to set up some rules ... during certain time slots such as: You don't take ANY phone calls. You are NOT interrupted for any reason. And you totally focus on the task at hand, you do NOT multitask.

Obviously, if your kitchen catches on fire or some other real emergency arises your rules can be broken. But unless you really enforce your rules the time thieves will insidiously eat at your resolve until they're constantly interrupting the important things you need to be doing.