CAREER MANAGEMENT 101
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MANAGING YOUR JOB SEARCH
How you organize and manage your job search is essential to your success. With a competitive job market in education, it is important that your search is organized, methodical and purposeful. Securing that coveted job does not happen in a casual way. There are considerations that you can control and manage. Here are suggestions on how you can manage your job search that will contribute to your success. 

It’s your job search; what works best for you? 

  • First and foremost, this is your own personal job search. Take it personally. Obviously, no one should be more focused on this than you and your choices of tools and resources are critical to your success.
  • There are countless resources of guides, templates, tools, and approaches for you to consider in organizing your job search. But, whatever you decide to use to conduct your search process must effectively propel and support you in getting a job in a timely fashion.
  • Select or create a system for your search. Find the tools that work best for you. It may be as simple as a word document or excel spreadsheet that you tailor for your own personal search
  • Successful job searches are the results of a focused, organized game plan. 

​Are your documents all lined up? 

  • Is everything in order for your search if you found a desirable job posting today?
  • Does your ammunition include the ideal resume that serves your interest as a promising professional candidate?
  • Do you have a list of professional references with whom you have equipped with your resume and a sense of what’s on your radar screen?
  • Ask a professional in the field or ideally, a Human Resources professional, who reviews resumes as part of their job, to critique your resume.

​Who else is holding you accountable? 

  • Lofty goals always involve other people.
  • Find an accountability partner. Identify someone in your professional life who can hold you accountable to this important endeavor. This should not be a casual selection for you. This person must know what a serious job search requires and then keep you in check with a productive campaign in securing a job within a reasonable period of time. You may consider a fellow job seeker for this role as you can both hold each other accountable.
  • Together, map out your career goal and establish your job mile markers along the way to that destination that will help keep you on track.
  • Check in with this person on a regular basis. Commit to a pre-scheduled series of accountability meetings and be prepared to demonstrate your productivity in advancing your job search. 
RESOURCES:
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Managing Your Job Search
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An effective job search:
  1. Organizes your efforts so that you can track progress (or not) towards a decision;
  2. Motivates you to add to and document your efforts;
  3. Holds you accountable and honest in moving forward and making progress towards your appropriate job opportunities.
Additional Documents?
It’s inevitable that you will be asked for samples of your work. It could be the development of a lesson plan, a research project, a published article, a business plan that you have implemented, or a solid representation of your best practices. It takes time to review so getting them aligned now will have you fully prepared and confident with that request to showcase your best stuff. 

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Do you have feedback on the resources provided or suggestions for additional resources?
Send your feedback to careers@rossier.usc.edu