Whether you're currently in a job and looking for change or trying to break into the job market, having a well structured job search plan is essential. Not only will it provide a structure to help organise actions and follow up, it's also useful to help you to evaluate your progress, and results in a more disciplined approach to your job search. Moreover it firmly puts you in control by 'doing' and 'creating' rather than simply waiting around for something to happen. Not only is this good for your self-confidence and self-esteem but it also leaves your networks and employers impressed with your initiative and self management.

Plan Contents

In addition to being a LinkMe member and having your most recent resume uploaded, no doubt your plan will also include a number of different strategies such as meeting with your networks, conducting research, responding to job boards and advertisements, sending resumes, organising interviews and writing follow-up letters and/or emails. To effectively manage these activities it is essential to establish a record keeping system that allows you to manage the large quantities of information accumulated during your job search, and beyond.

Getting truly organised

It's a good idea to keep track of:

• Weekly activities - eg contact lists and follow-up, networking meetings, interviews, research, internet searches etc
• You might want to consider having separate sheets to record this information or develop an on-line tracking systems

Benefits of having a plan

Once you have your plan in place it is easier to see which particular strategies are working well and which ones aren't. For example if one of your strategies includes responding to many newspapers advertisements but you've been unable to convert these to interviews, perhaps you need to review your resume to ensure the roles you're applying for are appropriate. Perhaps you're uncovering lots of opportunities through your networking efforts, and therefore it would make sense to focus your energies here rather than on newspaper advertisements. A general rule of thumb is if the response rate to your resumes is high and your strike rate between submitting your resume and securing interviews is high it's reasonable to assume that your resume is working well for you. If on the other hand you're finding that you're unable to translate these interviews into firm job offers then it's likely your interview skills need to be sharpened.

When the job search process stalls

It is not unusual for people to commence their job search with a flurry of activity and enthusiasm only to experience a slowdown some weeks later. Despite your best efforts it's likely that you'll experience a decline in activity level at some point of your search. This is normal, however if the drop off in activity continues for more than a couple of weeks, it should signal that it is time to reassess your campaign strategies and activities to avoid loosing focus and motivation.

There are many strategies you can implement to stay focussed and motivated. Some of these include:

• Maintain perspective - deal in facts and don't assume the worst
• Maintain your support system and avoid overly negative people
• Stick to your plan (though continue to review and amend as necessary)
• Take control and actively pursue all leads
• Try and be optimistic about your future, yet at the same time keep a realistic focus