Is Your Full Time Job, Finding A Job?

I read an article today from AskAManager.org  that, at first, had me scratching my head in bewilderment. The title of the article is:

Another Job Search Cliche That Isn’t True:

Looking For A Job Is A Full-Time Job

My initial reaction was something along the lines of, What?!? That’s crazy! If you are unemployed, your primary concern is finding a job! And I still stand by that statement. However, everything Alison said inside that article I 100% agree with.

When I define looking for a job as a full time job, I’m not implying that you have to sit at your desk from 9 to 5, forty hours per week. That isn’t necessarily the best course of action to take. However, looking for a job is your primary responsibility and it needs to be treated as such.

Some people are going to need more structure in their jobs search and creating a detailed schedule of events will be beneficial to them. Keep in mind that quality, not quantity, should be the focus of your efforts. Using your time to blast your resume out to every hiring manager in a fifty mile radius is NOT where your focus should be.

Your efforts need to be focused in the areas that are going to help you find the right job for you. The odds are that if you are a software programmer you really don’t want to be selling women’s shoes for a living, so don’t apply for those jobs. This is where your efforts should be focused:

1. Finding and targeting companies and employment opportunities. As I mentioned above, you do not want to blast your resume to everyone. Focus your efforts on finding companies that you want to work for, in the job that you want to perform.
2. Target your resume. Each resume you send out should be targeted to a specific employment opportunity. Pay attention to what the employer is asking to see in a job applicant and address those concerns in your resume. Focus your accomplishment statements to the companies needs.
3. Focus on great content. The ‘content’ of your job search is your resume, cover letters, 90 second introduction, your professional network, your job skills, your answers to interview question and anything else that you present to others in your search for employment. Do everything you can to sell yourself as the best possible solution to the employers problems.
4. Build your professional networks. The more professional contacts you have, the easier it will be for you to find a job. By no means does that mean it will be simple just because you are connected to a lot of people but being connected can only help.
5. Develop needed skill sets. Have you noticed a particular skill set that the majority of job postings are looking for that you do not have or have a weaker proficiency in? Develop that skill set and do something that shows a proficiency in it. It may involve spending money on some additional college classes and setting aside extra time but it will be worth it.

As you focus your efforts on these tasks, you may find that you are spending only twenty hours a week. As long as you are accomplishing all of your job search goals and making progress in your job search, the actual amount of time is less important that the results of the time you are spending. Some people will need to spend more time than others depending on their experience, skills and professional network.

The important part is that you treat your job search as a full-time job and acknowledge that you have responsibilities associated with your job search. Focus on presenting the best product that you possibly can to employers and put forth the effort necessary to show that product. Whether that takes you ten hours or fifty hours a week is less important. Your focus needs to be on quality and not quantity.