Selecting Job Targets -- Your Key to Job-Hunting Success
A job target means selecting a specific geographic area, a specific industry or organization size, and a specific position within that industry. A job target must have all three.

Approach each target with an open mind. Commit to a target, but only as long as it makes sense. You can change your mind after you find out more about it. Commitment to a target lets you discover your real possibilities and increases your chances of landing a job of your choice.

The Results of Commitment
Commitment increases the chance that you will come across clearly and enthusiastically about the industry and the position you seek; it will help you do a thorough job of networking the chosen area, of investigating and being knowledgeable about the area, of conducting a thorough search, and of being successful in that search.

If the result of your initial commitment is that you realize a job target is not what you thought it would be, you have resolved the issue and can move on.

Commitment to a target means you'll give that target your best shot--and results in a better job hunt than if you had no target at all.

Target a Geographic Area
Targeting a geographic area is usually the easiest part of the targeting process. Some people decide that they want to work near their present homes, while others decide that they would be willing to move where the jobs are. Are you willing to move anywhere? Are a small town and a big city the same to you? Would you rather be near your family? If you want to stay where you are now, target that area as your first selection--and you'll have a better chance of getting offers there. If you really care about where you live, target it.

Target an Industry and a Function in That Industry
Many people say they don't care what industry they work in. When pressed, they usually have stronger opinions than they thought.

If you think any industry would be okay for you, let's find out. Would you work for a magazine? A chemical company? The garment industry? How about a company that makes cardboard boxes? Or cheese? Does it matter to you?

Does it matter if the organization has forty employees? What about forty thousand? Does it matter to you?

You've Selected a Target If . . .
. . . you can clearly state the industry or organization size in which you'd be interested, your position within each industry, and some guidelines regarding geographic location.

If you have clearly selected your targets, then you can get on with finding interviews in your target area.

Other Issues You May Want to Consider
Even If You Have a Target
Does the style of the company matter to you? Would you rather be in a fast-paced, dynamic organization with lots of headaches or one that's more stable, slow paced, with routine work as the norm? Which would you prefer?

What kind of people do you want to work with? Friendly people? Sharp, challenging people? People interested in making a fast buck? People who want to make the world a better place? Think about it. You may have said before that you just want a job--any job--but is anything still okay with you?

If you want to be in sales, would it matter if you were selling clothes or used cars or computers or large office building space? What if you were selling cats? Rugs? Butter? Saying you want to be in "sales" is not enough.

Let's take it a step further. If what appeals to you about being a salesman is that you like to convince people, why not be a politician? Or a clergyman? Or a doctor? Or if what appeals to you is money, why not become a trader? Or a partner in a law firm? Remind yourself where your heart lies.

Select Your Targets
List your targets in the order in which you will conduct your search. List first the one you will focus on in your first target campaign. If you are currently employed and have time to explore, you may want to select as your first target the most unlikely one. (Job hunters sometimes want to target areas they had only dreamed about before.) Concentrate on it and find out for sure whether you are truly interested and what your prospects are. If it doesn't work, you can become more realistic.

On the other hand, if you must find a job quickly, concentrate first on the area where you stand the best chance of getting a job--perhaps the field you are now in. After you are settled in your new job, you can develop yourself in the area that interests you in the long run.

Remember, it's okay to take something less than your ideal job; just keep working toward your dreams.

Measuring Your Targets
You've selected one to five targets on which to focus. Will they be enough to get you an appropriate job?

Let's say, for example, that your first target aims at a small industry (ten organizations) having only a few positions that would be appropriate for you. Chances are, those jobs are filled right now. In fact, chances are there may be no opening for a year or two. The numbers are working against you. But if you have targeted twenty small industries, each of which has ten organizations with a few positions appropriate for you, the numbers are more in your favor. On the other hand, if one of your target is large and has a lot of positions that may be right for you, the numbers are again on your side.

A Rule of Thumb
A target list of two hundred positions results in seven interviews which result in one job offer. Therefore, if there are less than two hundred potential positions in your targets, develop additional targets or expand the ones you already have. Remember that when aiming at a target of less than two hundred, concentrated effort will be required.

Reprinted with permission The Five O'Clock Club, Inc. Kate Wendleton Author of  “Targeting A Great Career” available online http://www.fiveoclockclub.com/publications1_index.shtml

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