Targeting Your Search

Targeting your search is all about having a clear idea of the type of job you are looking for, which will give your job hunt a sense of direction. The two principal aims are:

• Reducing time-wasting
  Looking for a job is time consuming. The time you spend on it has to be put to most effective use.
• Reducing failure
  Not being selected for interview or going for an interview and not getting the job has a demoralising and discouraging effect. The less of this you have to deal with, the better.

Both these aims illustrate the point that you need to be selective with your job applications. There is no value in applying for hundreds of jobs just because they happen to be advertised. All you'll do is collect a large number of rejection letters, inviting discouragement, and wasting your time, both on making the application and on attending interviews for jobs for which you are not suited or not committed to.

You must also be realistic in your expectations of what the job market can offer. If you set off in pursuit of impossible targets then, practically speaking, it is almost as bad as setting off with no targets at all.

Examples of unrealistic expectations are:

1. Jobs You Can't Do.

As much as we hate to admit it to ourselves, there are some jobs that quite clearly we can't do because we don't have the necessary experience, qualifications or skill set. While there is no harm in applying for a job that asks for six years experience when you only have five, the danger in constantly over-reaching is that you can end up feeling rejected and discouraged.

If your job hunting has been essentially unsuccessful, ask yourself if you could be falling into the trap of applying for jobs you can't in fact do.

2. Jobs That Don't Exist.

Many people waste their time pursuing jobs that don't exist in the real world or jobs that are in very short supply. Examples may include people who want to:

• Work in a senior management job where they don't have to put up with any stress.
• Make a career change without taking a drop in salary.
• Move away from working shifts, but don't want to take a drop in the high level of earnings they currently receive for working unsociable hours.
• Have a high powered career without having to travel far from where they live.

The conditions that the people in these examples are imposing on the jobs they're looking for effectively wipe out most, if not all, of the available market.