What Makes an Effective Job Search Goal?

John Krautzel
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At the beginning of a job search, it's easy to believe that a positive, proactive mindset is enough to help you move forward in your career. While those are admirable qualities, they don't hold you accountable for the amount of time and planning you devote to completing job-search tasks on a daily basis. Learning to set clear-cut, manageable goals is the key to tracking your progress and pushing yourself to overcome challenges.

Create Personal Performance Metrics

The main goal of your job hunt is obvious: to land a rewarding position. You most likely also have a list of related priorities, such as updating your resume or reconnecting with your network, but without a predefined strategy, it may be difficult to determine whether these broad goals are advancing your job hunt. Effective goals aren't vague. Instead, they provide you with a destination and the steps you must complete to reach intermittent milestones.

Business leaders often recommend the S.M.A.R.T. goal-setting method, originally developed by legendary management consultant Peter Drucker. The acronym defines strong goals as specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time-bound. Think about the goal of re-establishing connections with your professional network. The goal is relevant, but it doesn't provide a standard for measuring your accomplishment. There aren't any specific milestones or a time frame, which makes it difficult to determine the goal's attainability.

When goals aren't realistic and results-oriented, you may abandon them or limit your potential to reach higher levels of performance, says management consultant Jim Schreier. Divide large performance goals into smaller tasks that you can define and measure by asking yourself what steps or tools you need to satisfy each requirement. For example:

Main goal: Update your resume within 10 days.

Task 1: Spend one hour a day researching job openings.

Task 2: Generate a list of 10 target companies that fit your skills and interests within five days.

Task 3: Email/call four mentors/colleagues to discuss your strengths, weaknesses and accomplishments in past roles within one week.

Task 4: Using feedback from colleagues, make a list of quantifiable accomplishments to highlight on your resume by day eight.

Task 5: Create two resume templates that you can customize for your target companies by day 10.

Revising a resume is stressful and time-consuming if you don't know what qualities make you an asset to employers. In this example, performance measure also relies on how well you research your target companies, as submitting applications without goals leads to an unfocused resume. Setting clear tasks, performance markers and time frames ensures that your goal is attainable. Since you can see how each task furthers your progress, your sense of accomplishment motivates you to stay on track.

Curb Your Expectations, Not Your Ambition

Efficient strategies lead to better job-search outcomes, so S.M.A.R.T. goal setting encourages realistic planning and achievable tasks to improve your performance and consistency. That doesn't mean you should always play it safe. Mark Murphy, founder of Leadership IQ, cautions against limiting yourself to goals you know you can accomplish. The most significant or rewarding accomplishments often require you to ignore perceived limitations and pursue goals that aren't attainable with your current skill set, inspiring you to learn and grow.

Make it a goal to occasionally step outside your comfort zone. For example, commit to attending two to three niche networking events a month if you're reserved, or contact local industry organizations to host a workshop if you want to hone your public speaking skills. Apply for one or two "reach jobs" each month if you are qualified but don't have all the education or experience requirements.

At the same time, adjust your expectations to fit your lifestyle and personality. Overloading yourself with ambitious goals can backfire if you repeatedly miss the mark. Chart your goals to create personal accountability, and keep track of both your projected and actual time frames for completing tasks. This helps you compare your expectations to your realistic time commitment and evaluate whether you're setting effective goals, says Joshua Waldman, founder of Career Enlightenment LLC.

Good goals motivate you to stay active in your job search while pushing you to expand your professional abilities. Whether you're currently employed or not, adopting a consistent routine and measurable tasks encourages you to maintain a results-driven, professional mindset, smoothing the transition into your next job.

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  • Andrew U.
    Andrew U. •

    I applied and was hired for a position that "required" a masters degree, Ph.D. Preferred.... I went to a 2 year community college. If you don't apply, you definitely won't get the job. If you apply, there's always a chance :-)

  • Heather Keller
    Heather Keller •

    Helpful and agreed!

  • Nancy Anderson
    Nancy Anderson •

    @Jane the biggest downside, of course, is that you are wasting your time if the employer is adamant about the applicant having x number of years or a bachelor/master degree, etc. If you don't have the basics of what they are looking for, your resume goes into the round file. You need to have justification as to why you are applying for a position that is beyond your experience and skill set. Sadly, if they have set the ATS for certain parameters and your resume does not include what they are looking for - it won't go anywhere.

  • Jane H.
    Jane H. •

    I understand the point about getting outside one's comfort zone; that's something I'm working on for myself right now. I also appreciate that a person should be careful not to overdo it, trying to reach beyond one's grasp. However, I'm curious: do you know of any serious downside to applying for jobs that are technically beyond one's experience?

  • Jay Bowyer
    Jay Bowyer •

    Learning the SMART approach to problem solving can help us well beyond the job search phase of our lives. I think SMART is just as applicable in workplace settings, where challenges are often frequent and when we have to be innovative to really succeed. In short, when we learn SMART, we're really setting ourselves up for future success.

  • Abbey Boyd
    Abbey Boyd •

    I do like the idea of breaking down goals into smaller, measurable tasks. Having too broad of a goal may not get you anywhere, as you may not know exactly what to do with it, or may underestimate how much you have done toward accomplishing that goal. Having smaller tasks keeps you better on track by giving you something concrete to measure.

  • Shannon Philpott
    Shannon Philpott •

    Etching out just one hour a day to work on your goals may not be enough. It is important for job seekers to first identify when they are most productive and plea accordingly. For example, I work best at night whereas somehow seekers are much more motivated in the early morning hours.

  • Nancy Anderson
    Nancy Anderson •

    @William, personally I don't use any online tools for goal setting. I just simply keep track of them in a spreadsheet so that I have it as ready reference. It works for me. But some people do need to use tools. I find that trying to use a tool just distracts me from setting my goals as I will spend time learning the tool when I could have already completed my goals list and moved on to something else.

  • William Browning
    William Browning •

    Goal setting is a great way to get a job faster. What kind of online tools help with this? Would a project management program work, or should I simply create a word processing document or spreadsheet to track my goals? The more efficient I can compile my metrics, the better I feel about organizing my job search goals.

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