TIME MANAGEMENT SKILLS FOR SUCCESSFUL JOB HUNT

Time become most important but rarely found at jobs. People who are jobless off course spend luxurious time, but there must always be a management while spending time in job hunt. Many people do not get good jobs in Pakistan as they do not manage their time. As technology has boosted every field of life and has provided various resources through which jobs can be searched. To make you job hunt successful you need to manage time.

Here is a look at the basic time management skills as reflected in job search tasks. Here are 20 activities along with my take on their relative importance in a job campaign. I classify them as high, medium, low, and a waste-of-time.

1. Creating a Resume. You never get a second chance to make a first impression. Make it as powerful a selling tool as possible.

2. Revising the Resume. Everyone will tell you to change your resume this way or that. Lots of the advice is conflicting. Once you have a version with content and format you feel good about, leave it alone. While you can tailor it for each posting, time wise, it's better to compose a relevant cover letter than rewrite a resume for each job.

3. The one-minute commercial. Without a memorable answer to "what are you looking for," you'll be forgotten. Quite the opposite of what you want to have happen.

4. Salary Negotiations Training. Good pay is the whole reason you work in the first place, and something you often need to deal with in the first contact with an employer. Huge chance you'll be screened out of an interview if not handled right.

5. Preparing Sensitive Questions responses. You know the questions that will put you on the defensive. Rehearse answers so you don't lose confidence or ad-lib about this during an interview.

6. Sending out Unsolicited Resumes. Waste of time. There is only a small set of searches that this will work in at all. (Ones where you are looking for work exactly in line with what you've been doing no career change, no promotion.) Even then, compared with networking and other tasks, it's Low.

7. Values and Interests Testing. That's supposed to help you put more focus in your job search. However, tests don't usually produce practical insights into your focus. They're fun, maybe, but if you just look in your heart or have a good conversation with a friend, you can discover well enough what turns you on, career-wise. If not, get a career advisor/coach who is good at getting focus without relying heavily on tests.

8. Soliciting Recruiters. When you and your campaign are properly positioned, you don't need to find recruiters, they will find you. Direct mailing won't enhance your chances significantly more than being visible on LinkedIn and other resume posting sites.

9. Surfing Internet Job Postings. Are you surprised? It gets it's "low" rating because of the enormous time it can take, making it very "time-expensive." Set up your Internet auto-responders, spiders, and resume postings to bring new jobs to you. Find any niche job boards relevant to your search. Then limit your time, applying only to jobs you are excited about.

10. Networking with Family and Friends. Networking should start with targeting companies you want to apply to. Then if family or friends can help you meet someone personally in that company, okay - High. But if you just ask family and friends, "Know anyone who's hiring?" that's Low -- the wrong place to start.

11. Group Networking Meetings. Attend two employed-groups and two unemployed groups per week. Personal contact is the highest yield activity as long as you're making a good impression.

12. Helping Others. But don't do anything for someone that they can do themselves. You've got enough to do with your search without adding someone else's.

13. One-on-one Networking Meetings. Face to face if possible, and with reciprocity, "Thanks for your time and I hope to pay this favor back to you or someone you know."

14. Cold Calls Tele-search. Waste of time. You will be forgotten almost immediately. You'll be barging in on people's time. You'll only get information on published openings, not created positions.

15. Linkedin, Facebook, and Twitter: Make sure your LinkedIn profile is well done and enticing. Don't have anything extreme or politically incorrect on any site.

16. Answering E-mail. This activity can be a huge time expense. Make sure filters are in place. Triage your replies. Set a timer and keep it to a limit.

17. Research on company: Job Interview Pending.

18. Research on company: no job interview. This is the right direction if you're creating a practical hit list of job targets. Keep to time limits.

19. Getting published in your industry's trade journal. Visibility and credibility activities are high priority. It's not who you know, it's who knows you!

20. Training: workshops, books, webinars, speeches, etc. There will be some duds in this process, but all in all, it's better to train and learn by trial-and-success, than to rush in and learn by trial and error.

This list is a good start. Add your own activities. Adjust my general ratings higher or lower depending on your circumstances.