The Evolving Role of Senior Executives in the Digital Age
The digital age has ushered in unexpected changes, transforming the very fabric of how organizations operate. Let’s unravel the evolving role of senior executives in
Not having a job search plan is like trying to reach the North Pole without a compass. You’re likely to wander aimlessly, unable to see your goal and not even sure you’re heading in the right direction. That’s probably a less extreme disaster-in-the-making than exploring the frozen north without a compass, but it’s not a course you want to take if you hope to have a successful job search.
Is a Five-Year Job Search Plan Essential?
Does needing a sense of direction and purpose mean you must have a five-year job search plan? Not really. As an executive, you know that in business, a five-year plan can be flexible—sometimes extremely so. What’s most important to begin with is developing the plan and then being ready to modify it later, if needed.
That’s also true for your job search planning. First, you need an overall guide—I’d call it a career management plan. This long-range guide will include the focus of your current professional activity, whether it’s moving to a new location, targeting an internal promotion, or something else. It will also have target dates for the key milestones, which are important to anchor your job search in the real world.
Because it’s long range in scope, the plan doesn’t concentrate exclusively on the first major goal, as important as that is. It encompasses other objectives beyond the successful conclusion of your current job search. Those could, for instance, include desired career advancement after you land the new job. A savvy executive is always thinking ahead, even while he or she works to achieve successful results in the here-and-now.
Pitfalls of a Poorly Conceived Job Search Plan
You could find your job search coming to a screeching halt or rocketing off in the wrong direction for a number of reasons. One of them is failure to take a practical view of the odds for and against success. Optimism is a great quality to have in a job search, but just as in business, being realistic about the situation puts you in a better spot to reach your goal.
I don’t need to list all the pitfalls you could encounter if your plan is poorly conceived. Here are just a few of them, along with ideas of what you can do to handle them.
Like the explorer trying to get to the North Pole, you want to prepare thoroughly for your job search and then proceed with both determination and wisdom. A well-thought-out plan is a critical element of your ultimate success. It just doesn’t need to be a five-year job search plan!
The digital age has ushered in unexpected changes, transforming the very fabric of how organizations operate. Let’s unravel the evolving role of senior executives in
As navigators of corporate strategy, your boardroom decisions carry significant weight, shaping the trajectory of your organization. But you already know that. In this blog,