The importance of a plan

This will not be a “New Yeast Resolution” blog.....quite the opposite as most resolutions fail.  For your job search you need something more.  The one critical thing I’ve learned, especially as I’ve gotten older is that it’s a lot easier to get things done if you focus on the individual tasks as opposed to the final goal.  Understanding the goal is critical, but without a thorough understanding of what it takes to get there...you’ll fail.  I say this stupid thing all the time “Rome wasn’t built in a day”....dumb phrase?  Yep....but it helps me keep focused on the BIG goal while accomplishing something that gets me closer to where I want to be.

So, when you’re thinking about a new job if you sit around daydreaming about being the VP of Global Awesomeness.....you’ll never get there unless you have a plan.  As such, here are a few thoughts on how to keep focused on the goal without losing sight of the day-to-day.

1)  Write it down - Write down the big goal.....something like “I want to be the VP of Awesome” will work.  Just enough info for you to visualize what you are looking to get done.

2) Work backwards to figure out the steps - Start outlining all the things you’ll need to do to accomplish this goal by working backwards....for example.  In order to be the VP of Awesome you might want to be the Dir of Awesome or Manager of Awesome....or frankly you might want to be Awesome before you can be the VP of Awesome. Don’t stop until you get to where you are today.

3) Honestly assess where you are today - Be honest, where are you today? What have you done or can you do to get better?  Get another degree?  Step up at work?  Stop staying up late playing video games?  Every little bit helps, so be honest and start putting down as much as you can.

4) Launch the plan - By now, you’ve got a huge pile of random thoughts/information about what you want to do.......turn it into a plan and get it done.  Honestly, this is the easy part as by the time you’ve mapped out what you need to do and where you are today you’ll be chomping at the bit to get started.  So do it.

Good luck out there, the job market still sucks so if you are looking for a new job in 2013 you’re going to need to really work at it.........don’t leave anything to chance.   Build a plan and get it done.