Take out a sheet of paper and brainstorm some career fields that interest you the most.
What is your purpose for finding a job?
Pick 10 of your favorite career fields, and write down a few thoughts about what you would enjoy doing the most in each field.
Rank the career fields you chose from 1-10 (10 being the most favorite, to 1 being the least favorite).
No limitations exist, write out everything you can think of about your dream job (where are you, and what does it look like).
Are you willing to relocate?
If you’re willing to relocate, write down three places you might like to move to without doing any research.
Hop on the internet and explore the three places you wrote down. Write down the following:
- Possible place to live in each area
- Do a job search of the jobs you would like to pursue in each area
- How many job postings are there in each area?
- Research grocery stores, malls, and other things that are important to you in the area you want to live in
- Chose a few other “must haves” and those findings
Write down some thoughts on compensation. What are you willing to accept, not accept?
What type of job are you looking for?
Chose a job posting you might like to apply to, and make a list of what minimum requirements, skills, and experience you have compared to what they’re looking for.
You’re feeling motivated to apply to a specific job, but you need something extra, before doing so, would taking a class, or earning a certification add some value? What class or certification would you like to take? What is the start date? Can you afford it at this time? What is your specific plan to make it happen?
Research and find a job that interests you. Write down three things you like and dislike about the job description.
When doing your research, have you found a job posting you don’t agree with in regards to how to apply? Write down a few reasons why you don’t agree, and what you would change about applying, if you were the one creating this posting.
Rank from 1-10, (10 being the best, to one being not so great) how your job search is going so far (or n/a if you haven’t started yet) If you wrote in a 1, what are a few things you can do to make the search better?
Go to some chamber of commerce websites in a few areas you want to live in, just browse through, and check it out.
Go online, and find a virtual or live job fair you can participate in, find out what you need to do to attend, and register, and then write down 3-5 takeaways from the experience.
Write down 5-10 interview questions, and practice your responses with someone you feel comfortable with, for 10-15 minutes a week.
Research a job search type support group to have the opportunity to network with others, and join if you can afford it financially, and feel comfortable doing so.
Write down 10 things you can do to prepare for each interview
Think of 5 things you did so well after an interview, and another 5 things you can improve on.
In your opinion, what are 3 things that makes an interview go so well, and 4 things that make an interview go not so well.
What do you handle so well during an interview, and what makes the process difficult?
What are 3 things you think about the most right after an interview?
What do you think would happen if you tried asking if you can “try out” the job first to see if you like what you would be doing, before accepting an offer?
It’s time to ask for some feedback about your interview, choose one, and write down 5 of the most important things they tell you, also find out, and write down 3 things you did very well.
Research a place where you would like to find a job, and write down how many current jobs exist in your field of interest, now look at 5 postings, and see if you meet most of their requirements, how did this experiment go, what did you learn? How many postings did you meet the requirements for? Write out your next plan of action if you didn’t meet most of their requirements?
Interview a few managers at a couple of companies you want to apply to, and share 5-7 questions you would ask, was it easy to schedule the interview right away, what roadblocks if any did you experience, write out a few suggestions that could help others prepare to do the same thing.
How long have you been searching for a job for? Have you taken any breaks? If you have, what was the most challenging part about starting again?
Write down the 10 most important things that matter the most, throughout your job search, and continue on until you’re hired.