What
are you doing to find your next job? Are you blindly pecking at the interview
ever: or are you focused on finding the one job that's right for you?
If
you're not sure whether you are looking for the right job, you need help
defining the job you want. Often, a good place to start is with the job you
have.
Write
out your responses to the following exercises. The results will help you keep
an eye on what you really want.
What • Describe the job you would want to be promoted to at your current
(or last) company. Be honest with yourself, and be realistic. But let yourself
dream about what you really want to do next. List the title, salary,
responsibilities, and level of authority. What are the three most important
goals you would have to achieve in that job, to be successful? What are the
daily tasks you would be expected to perform?
How
• How would you do this job if you had it? List the things you would need
to do to achieve each of the three goals you described above. How would you
perform the day-to-day tasks better than they are being performed now?
Why
• Why should you be assigned this job? What profit would you add to your
company's bottom line if you accomplished your goals? Make your best estimate.
If you need to do some thinking and research to figure this out, do it. The
profitability question is at the heart of every hiring decision.
If
you're not satisfied with what you came up with, select another job and do the
exercise again. Keep practicing until you feel good about the work and the job
you want to do.
4.
Review your plan with someone you respect and trust at the company, or with
someone who understands your business. You may even be able to review it with
your boss, explaining that this is your professional goal over the next year.
Ask for suggestions to improve it. Listen carefully to all comments. (If you
think this exercise might land you a promotion at your current job, you're
right. The same planning that will net you a new job elsewhere should work
with your employer too.)
Don't
go after interviews, go after the right job. Use what you've learned here to
define the job you want to find. Do not interview for jobs that fail to meet
or exceed these requirements. Why waste your time settling for anything less?
