Module One: Introduction To Job Hunting

Module One:  Introduction To Job Hunting

Learning Objectives

At the end of this module, you'll:

1. Understand the meaning of job hunting
2. Understand the implication of job search in your career
3. Understand job search planning and how to prepare realistic job search plan
4. Discover the first step to effective job hunting
5. Be able to prepare a realistic job hunting plan and  maximize the results from your job hunting efforts

Job Hunting [Explanation]

Job hunting [job seeking, or job searching] is the act of looking for employment by using various sources, tools and procedures that  help to find and apply for jobs. 

The immediate goal of searching for job, is usually to obtain a job interview with an employer which may lead to getting hired.

In today's network driven, competitive world of work, job search needs to begin with deciding on preferred  job posts  and setting up personal job search plan that has realistic targets.  

A  job search plan  that has realistic goals, leads to better results, it helps to remain consistent, it saves time and it minimises stress and rejections during job search. 

Features of A Good Job Search Plan

A good job search plan: 

• Should specify what you want [ e.g., the preferred roles and companies you are interested in, your salary expectation, your motivation for such roles or companies]. 
• It should state the sources you will use in discovering job openings. 
• It should specify the step by step details of what you need to do, how you should do it, when you need to do it, and the result you hope to achieve when you carry out each specified step of your plan. 

Those things  will serve as guardrails for your job hunting effort, and will  help to keep you accountable, every step of the way.

 How To Prepare A Realistic Job Search Plan

• Define your career path: Career path is the way that you progress in your work, either in one job or in a series of jobs. The images below are examples of career paths 
  

  

  

  
  

  
  
  
  
• Decide on the role or roles you're interested in. E.g, Intern, Data Analyst, Advisory associate, Operation manager, Director. Decide on the roles that you love and are qualified for.
• Decide on the sectors or industries that are most important to you. E.g, Telecom, Oil and Gas, Technology, Software, Fintech, advertising and media, Insurance, banking, Audit, ministry and agencies of government, FMCG, Fashion and apparels,  etc. You can 
• Decide on the Companies that you like to work in. E.g, KPMG, MTN, Shell BP, Flutterwave, Arla, Ministry of Agriculture, Nestle, etc. These are just examples. Write down yours in your plan, as many as you are interested in. 
• Decide on the location or city you want to work in. E.g, Lagos, Abuja, PH, Enugu, Kano, Ogun, etc.
• Discover the qualities you have that are relevant
• Define The Goals you seek to achieve through your target job/company, such as 1.) Skills you want to learn, 2.) The kind of experience and team you want to work with, 3.) The value you want to add, 4.) The positions you want to work in 5.) The amount you want to earn, etc. 
• Prepare a roadmap [ your TO DOs] that will help you to achieve those goals.
•  Include in your roadmap the following:   actions to take, when to carry out those action and how to execute those actions.

Example of Job Search Plan

Below is an example of a Simple Job Search Plan for an Undergraduate or Fresh Graduate seeking to acquire Job Experience through Paid Internship in Data Science:

Terms Explanation

• Job Leads: Job leads are those job vacancies that you've heard about or read about.
• Job Leads Sources: These are the various ways you get to know about job vacancies, such as: 

1. Through family, friends, classmates, colleagues [ networking], 
2. LinkedIn [social media], 
3. Jobberman [ Job board], 
4. Checking the website of the company you want to work in, etc.

You can see from the simple plan above that those things  specified in the plan will serve as guardrails for your  job hunting effort, and will  help to keep  you accountable, every step of the way. 

For instance, the 'TO DO' specifies what to do, when to do it and how to do it. It is like a system. 

If for any reason the owner of the plan fails to carry out a task in the plan at the stated time, the consequences of conscience guilt and higher pressure to meet up will be apparent. And since the expected result of every action is stated in the plan, there will by automatic action feedback loop, that helps to note what is working and what isn't working.

The purpose of setting up a good job search plan is to guide you to  fast track success through out every stage in the job hunting process and land your dream job fast.

In  module two, Job Hunting Process is discussed in full