Imagine that – you have been rolling along, not void of responsibilities, but clearly, as it should be, enjoying a smart balance of hard schoolwork and some hard school fun.
In just 3 months, many of the students will be winding down their final year at school and as they approach, what might be one of the most significant and meaningful times in their young life, they begin to think about their future in a way that they have, with exception, not done before. …they have to get a job.
As a passionate manager of career development that caters to the ‘entry level’ specialty, I coach, advocate, encourage and implore my clients to put a plan in place. The plan is one thing, but the planning is quite another. That’s where the substance of the search is, in the planning.
It’s essential to your success that you think about what you are going to do, how you are going to do it and finally how you will execute the plan.
Job search is a difficult process. It’s a competitive environment. It can be fickle; it can be transient and its hard work. Be prepared for that. Assume nothing. Keep expectations real and above all, invest in yourself. Make the time. Take the time. Manage the time. You are not the only graduate looking for a job. Hundreds of young job seekers on the hunt for their future are doing exactly what you are.
Differentiate yourself NOW! Begin to put the plan in place NOW! The longer you wait, the shorter the odds are that you are going to secure something in your first choice category.
Planning requires advanced thought with a definite purpose. It represents having some vision. Get yourself organized. Begin to explore your market of interest NOW. There should be some strategy involved. Keep your objectives clear, take aim, find your target and make every honest effort to connect. Purpose and Pro-activity should guide you. Patience should steady you. Persistence however should drive you.
And what if the plan should fail? What do you do? You find the supplemental plan. The big BACK-UP! It’s essential to have an alternative plan. That’s the key to planning. You have to anticipate with something that complements your original objective but might fall short and yet, still provide a safe place to be and get your career journey on the way. Because the market is so competitive, you might not land in your first choice and that’s really OK. It’s not uncommon, but the sooner you begin, the better your chances are of finding a comfortable and satisfying place to be.