Looking for work or changing careers can be a challenging task. A job search action plan will help you to organise your search for work or an alternative career. Having a plan with clearly defined goals motivates you stick to them, and also makes you more effective in your search for work.
Creating a strategic job search action plan
The current employment market is highly competitive. If you’re not focused on what you want to do, what you have to offer, where to search and how to do it, you risk wasting time and effort.
Here’s an 8-step strategic job search action plan to get you started, with links to indepth advice articles.
1. Research employers and careers
- Visit the websites of organisations you would like to work for
- Sign-up for employers’ vacancy email alerts
- Visit job boards such as Seek.com or Careerone.com
- Research career-related websites to get ideas and information
2. Identify potential roles
- List ideal roles
- Identify the type of work environment, level of responsibility and hours you are seeking
3. Update resume
- List relevant qualifications, skills and achievements
- Keep to a maximum four pages
- Ensure it is error-free, well-formatted and professional-looking
4. Register with recruitment agencies
- Visit recruitment agencies‘ websites and review vacancies
- Submit your resume
- Submit applications for suitable advertised roles
5. Target potential employers
- Contact people who can refer you to others employed by your target organisations
- Meet people you have been referred to and find out more about the organisation
- Ask if they can refer you to someone who can help your job search
6. Use LinkedIn
- Complete your LinkedIn profile. Include a professional profile picture, attention-grabbing headline and summary and detailed experience, with dates, skills and expertise (using keywords)
- Provide and receive at least three recommendations
- Join and contribute to relevant groups
- Reach out to new contacts and former colleagues and professional acquaintances
7. Network
- Identify potential contacts, for example friends, family, former colleagues and former classmates
- Advise them you are looking for a new job
- Ask them for referrals to potential employers or actual job leads
- Attend networking opportunities hosted by groups aligned with your preferred industry
8. Track job applications
- Keep copies of applications and job advertisements
- Record who you’ve met and your follow-up actions