THE CHALLENGE OF FINDING A NEW JOB OR CHANGING YOUR CAREER

One thing that one needs to realize when looking for a new job is that a successful search requires effort.   

You cannot wait for someone to offer you a job.  And you cannot assume that simply because you answer want-ads and respond to listings on job search websites, you have done enough to assure that you will get a job as soon as you would like.

The success of your job search will be in direct proportion to the amount of effort you put into it.  You need a strategy and appropriate tactics to go with it.  As has been discussed before, you need to decide what kind of a job you want, and in what industry and what kind of company. 

You need to decide what tools you will use in your job search.  Will you dedicate your time and effort to networking?  Will you mix it with answering ads and contacting companies you know are hiring?

You need to match your expectations to your strategy and tactics.  Remember, if you are unemployed, then looking for a new job is your job.  The conventional wisdom holds that if you make a good-faith, full time effort to find a new job, then the time it will take will be the number of months equal to your intended salary divided by $10,000.  For example, if you are making $100,000 then it will take you about 10 months to find a new job.

This time can be shorter, of course, because, as I said earlier in this post, your success will be in direct proportion to your efforts.  The more time you dedicate to your search, the shorter it will be.

Lastly, you should not get discouraged if you are making every effort you can in your job search.  If you use networking, answering ads posted on job search websites, contacting executive search firms and contact companies who are hiring, then you will find a new job sooner rather than later.

Believe me, you will feel like you are making significant progress, and will appreciate your efforts, if you note even your smallest achievements, and see success in your daily efforts.

And before you know it, you will be getting that offer you have been looking forward to!