I am always coaching my clients about the STRATEGIC plan that is crucial for career development. Looking to snag a great job or an internship require that you do the research, explore, discover, learn about your market, where the opportunities are, identify your resources, engage, initiate conversations, begin to formulate THE PLAN and then execute.
If you are fortunate enough to have a recruiter or a headhunter do the leg work for you, you can sit back and allow them to do what they do and help you land. Nice if you have that luxury. But if you are like the majority, you are going to have to drive this bus. And no different than any long trip you are about to take, you will look at WAZE and determine the best route to take. But it all boils down to good planning.
Like most things in life, if you prepare, you are prepared. If you don’t you can still get there but the ride is a bit more turbulent. Planning reduces, or sometimes, eliminates the bumps in the road. Planning is your chance to smooth things out. It’s your chance to put the objectives in front of you and determine how you will achieve them. No goals, no objectives, no destination point are difficult without the PLAN. It’s all about thinking ahead, projecting, and having some sense of direction.
You can be strategic. You can be operational. You can be tactical. And sometimes things don’t always go according to PLAN, so having a contingency plan can be helpful too.
Job Search is time consuming. Having a PLAN in place reduces the intimidation, the mental clutter, makes it more fulfilling and keeps you ORGANIZED. It is a fundamental part of the process so utilize the Time Management skills you are always bragging about and get the plan in place. Take your ‘to-do’ list and become a ‘fan of the plan’.
