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A 21-day plan to a new job
A new year is a great time to assess where you’re at professionally. Is it time for you to make a job change? Or a career change? This 21-day challenge is designed to help!
During this challenge, you’ll take 30 days of consistent action in five different areas:
1. Where Are You Now?
2. Where Are You Going?
3. What Sets You Apart?
4. What’s Your Plan?
5. Let’s Do This!
Take action each day in one of these areas (see the list below for ideas). This challenge will reward effort, not results. But results will come when you take consistent action, day after day, in meeting your goal!
For best results, enlist an accountability partner to help you complete the challenge. Ideally, it will be someone who is looking to make a job or career change too, so you can keep each other accountable and on track. For best results, check in with each other daily.
You can choose to use either the Challenge Calendar or the Challenge Planner to plan and track each day’s activities. Write down the activity you will do and put a big red “X” on each day you complete a challenge activity. At the end of the month, you want as many spaces marked off as possible on your Calendar or Planner.
There are three ways to conduct the challenge:
It’s up to you!
At the end of each week during the challenge, reward yourself for good performance. Enjoy a special outing or anything else that will encourage you to keep going!
Here are suggested actions within each of the areas.
During this challenge, you’ll take 30 days of consistent action in five different areas:
1. Where Are You Now?
2. Where Are You Going?
3. What Sets You Apart?
4. What’s Your Plan?
5. Let’s Do This!
Take action each day in one of these areas (see the list below for ideas). This challenge will reward effort, not results. But results will come when you take consistent action, day after day, in meeting your goal!
For best results, enlist an accountability partner to help you complete the challenge. Ideally, it will be someone who is looking to make a job or career change too, so you can keep each other accountable and on track. For best results, check in with each other daily.
You can choose to use either the Challenge Calendar or the Challenge Planner to plan and track each day’s activities. Write down the activity you will do and put a big red “X” on each day you complete a challenge activity. At the end of the month, you want as many spaces marked off as possible on your Calendar or Planner.
There are three ways to conduct the challenge:
- Do one action item each day for 21 days straight
- Take action for five days each week (no weekends) for four weeks (plus one day)
- Take actions for three days each week for seven weeks (for example, Monday-Wednesday-Friday or Tuesday-Thursday-Saturday)
It’s up to you!
At the end of each week during the challenge, reward yourself for good performance. Enjoy a special outing or anything else that will encourage you to keep going!
Here are suggested actions within each of the areas.
Where Are You Now?
- Find the most recent version of your résumé and/or cover letter and locate the most recent copy of your job description.
- Google yourself. What comes up when you put your name in Google? Evaluate your social media presence.
- Brainstorm a list of everything you need to add to your résumé: recent work experience and accomplishments, education, training, certifications or licenses, etc.
- Identify and review your most recent performance evaluation or annual review. What were you commended for?
- Pull together information for your Professional Portfolio — a copy of your college or university transcript and certificates/diplomas, work samples, copies of awards or honors, testimonials about your work from supervisors and/or customers, etc.
- Review your social media profiles. Do they position you in the best light as a jobseeker? If not, scrub negative information. Delete any profiles you’re no longer using.
- Take some time to consider whether you want to pursue a new job or a new career. Create a “pro/con” list for each.
- Discover what you do best by taking a skills assessment, like the Clifton StrengthsFinder or DISC profile.
Where Are You Going?
- Why do you want to make a change? Take 15 minutes and sit down and make a list of the things you do and do not like about your current job/career.
- Instead of asking yourself, “What do I want to be when I grow up,” sit down and take a few minutes to ask yourself the question, “What problem(s) do I want to solve?”
- Brainstorm what are the 10 most likely job titles for the position you want.
- Research and identify three job postings for the type of position you’d like (even if these aren’t actually job postings you actually end up applying for).
- Spend some time thinking about your dream job. Make a list of the types of things you’d be doing each day if you were working your dream job.
- Think about what you would want your next job to do for you that your current job doesn’t. In other words, make a list of what will be different about your next job.
- Assess whether you have the skills, experience, and/or qualifications necessary for the job or career you want to pursue.
- Don’t just look for a job — look for a calling. Spend 15 minutes answering these three questions: What are you meant to do? How can you use your skills, education, and experience for maximum benefit? What kinds of problems could you solve for a company?
- Take a personality assessment (like the Holland Self-Directed Search, the Keirsey Temperament Sorter, or the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator) to figure out what type of work you’re best suited for.
What Sets You Apart?
- What value would you bring to your next employer? Can you help the company make money? Save money or save time? Make work easier, or solve a specific problem? Expand their business and attract or retain customers? Identify what you can do in each of these areas.
- Outline five accomplishments using the C-A-R strategy. (What was the Challenge? What Actions did you take? What Results did you achieve?)
- Make a list of new skills and education you’ve achieved. Have you attended any conferences? Achieved a certification?
- Also consider non-traditional education/training. Assemble a list of online courses, boot camps, and tutorials you’ve completed that are relevant to your job/career target.
- Write up a list of the honors and/or awards you’ve received.
- Prepare yourself to answer the question, “Tell me about yourself.”
- Write down your biggest professional accomplishment of the past year.
- Be prepared to answer questions about gaps in your employment, skills you don’t have that are necessary for the job/career you want, and why you left a job. Take some time to think through how you’d answer questions about these issues.
