SMART New Years Resolutions for Job Seekers

SMART New Years Resolutions for Job SeekersSMART New Years Resolutions for Job Seekers9New Years resolutions tend to be bold, ambitious, andunrealistic. More than 75 percent of people who make New Years resolutions will fail, according to theGuardian. Vowing to make sweeping, drastic changes in your life almost always backfires because such goals arent SMART Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Timely. To be successful in 2014, read on to find out how to make SMART New Years resolutions for job seekers.Rather than saying that you want to lose weight, you might say that you want to lose 20 pounds over the next six months by cutting out soda and going to the gym three times a week. Now you have mora than a resolution- you have a strategy. Similarly, youll need to do mora than simply say that you want to land your dream job in 2014.Grab a sheet of paper or open a blank document on your computer and write a resolution that answers the following questionsSpecific- What industr y or sector do you want to work in? Do you want to stay local or are you willing to move? How much do you need to earn?Measurable- To meet your goal, how many resumes will you send out per week? How many networking events will you attend each month?Attainable- Do you understand the difference between your dreams and your goals? Keep in mind that some things are beyond your sphere of influence. You cannot control how many interviews or offers you get, but you can set a goal for the number of business connections youll make each month.Realistic- What can you achieve right now? If you have little experience, its unlikely you can move directly into a C-level job. Be honest with yourself about what you can achieve right now, but also plan for bigger and better goals in the future.Timely- When is your deadline? This aspect of goal setting is often overlooked, but deadlines- even arbitrary ones- are important motivators. Since you cant control when youll get hired, you may find that a reso lution such as I will find a job within the next six months is less effective than I will apply to at least five vacancies this week.Once youve written a SMART resolution, you can write out a list of actionable steps to make your vorstellung a reality.Here are some actionable steps you can take to achieve your goal in 2014Develop- To keep your skills current and relevant, continue your professional development while you look for work. Look for continuing education classes at local colleges or consider a free online course from edX, Coursera, or Udacity. You can even learn a foreign language online with Duolingo. Dont neglect your public library, which is a great resource for information and programming. Set yourself a mini-goal of learning something new or improving an existing skill each week.Improve- Communications skills are one of the most sought-after attributes amongst employers. No matter your field, being able to precisely and persuasively express yourself is a useful skill. If public speaking scares you, try joining Toastmasters. If written communication isnt your strong suit, youll be getting plenty of practice from cover letters and thank-you notes. Grammarly, an online proofreading tool, not only checks your text for errors but also helps you learn from your mistakes. Volunteer- Not only will volunteering allow you to give back to your community and help the less fortunate, but it will also look great on your resume. Contact local organizations or check out VolunteerMatch.org to get started. A good mini-goal would be to volunteer 10 hours a month.Network- Many job seekers are resistant to networking, but it is one of the best ways to find the opportunity of your dreams. Job fairs and Chamber of Commerce events arent the only ways to network- try inviting a former colleague out for lunch or contacting a leader you admire for an informational interview. Make a plan to participate in between two and four networking opportunities per month.Todays post was written by Allison VanNest of Grammarly.com. A self-proclaimed word nerd, Allison works with Grammarly to help perfect written English. Connect with Allie, the Grammarly team, and more than 940,000 Grammarly Facebook fans at www.facebook.com/grammarly.Readers, what are your job search resolutions for 2014? Share your New Years resolutions for job seekers in the comments