Setting Your Job Targets

Before you start to apply for jobs, it's a good idea to get some fixed points of reference or targets in your mind. These targets will be there to help you when it comes to deciding which jobs to apply for and which to leave alone. They can be broken down as follows:

The Job

What are you looking to achieve from your job hunting? Is it promotion, for example? If so, what's the next job up the ladder?

The Area

How willing to travel or relocate you are clearly has a impact on the kind of jobs you will be applying for. Are you a truly global person who is happy to work anywhere in the world or do your family or other social commitments limit you to looking for work within commuting distance of where you live now?

The Pay

A higher salary is often the reason people look for another job. It is an awkward subject to deal with, mainly because a difference often arises between your estimation of your own worth and what the market is capable of offering at that time.

Another problem is that when you start your job search, you may not have a great deal of awareness of what the market can provide, and so you won't have any idea whether the kind of figure you have in mind is realistic or not.

In order to set your pay target, do some research - look at the jobs advertised in newspapers, journals or on websites that call for people with similar skills and experience to yours. You can also tap into your network source - contacts in your profession who may be able to give you some valuable inside information on what other employers pay.

You will then be able to form a general idea of whether the figure you have in mind is realistic or not. Of course, you may find from these investigations that you're not so badly paid after all, which may mean that you decide to call off the job search altogether.

The Hours

Some jobs involve working odd or anti-social hours. How would you feel about this? On the other hand, are you looking for something that fits in with your other commitments?

The Prospects

Is career progression important to you? If so, it will rule out any employers where the prospects are limited, for instance, very small firms, or businesses in static or low-growth situations.

The Risk

Are you only interested in a secure job with a big name employer, or would you be happy to consider something with a little more risk attached to it, like a start-up business? This may depend on your domestic situation. If you provide the main source of income for your family, you'll be much less willing to take a risk than someone whose partner has a secure, well-paid job.

Other Considerations

There may be other issues that will influence the kind of job you can apply for. Perhaps your family situation may make it difficult for you to spend nights away from home, or maybe you have a medical problem that could prevent you from working in certain industries or environments?

Setting out your targets will ...

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